The Eyes Are Your Window
by Illusia
Summary: This is For all you S&S Fans. Read and Review if you want more
1. Old Times Meet New Friends

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father.~   
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~  
  
*Not many reviews for the last one...I'm wondering if I should keep writing, or just end it here?? I'll let you guys decide. Review  
  
  
"The eyes are the window to ones soul."~Unknown.  
  
  
Next next day the group headed back to Horizon. All the way back to the lodge, everyone was bustling wiht excitement about the Morp. They wanted everything to be perfect. They wanted a Morp II that Kat would be proud of. Something that they could work together to complete. But there was still something nagging at the back of Scott's brain. They were just about to cross the foot bridge when he grabbed Shelby's arm. "Can we talk?" His tone was firm, but he knew that he had to soften up if he wanted her to love him again. "Please?"   
  
"About what?" Her tone was questioning. She didn't want to hurt him, but a part of her knew that he was hiding something. She wanted to know what was wrong with him, she wasn't about to push. She knew better. "Or do you want me to guess?" Scott hadn't said three words to anyone since they left the cabin. And that was a long time for anyone to hold their tounge. "Scott?"  
  
Both of them slowed down and Scott looked directly into Shelby's eys. "I'm sorry." He said simply. "I know that I've made some really bad mistakes with you, and I want to change that." He took a hold of her hand and smiled at her. "Will you be my date to the Morp?" He watched as a smile spread across her face. She started giggling almost uncontrolably. Daisy turned around to look at her, she exchanged a glace with Scott, then went back to her conversation with Jessica. "Shell? Are you okay?"  
  
Shelby didn't understand why she couldn't stop laughing. "I'm sorry, it's just.....I, um." She took an extra second to calm down. "I actually never thought you'd ask." The thought sounded crazy to them both.  
  
  
Daisy turned her head to the young girl they all affectionally reffered to as Mini-Me. She was Shelby's double, bo one would be able to deny it. Not if they heard her story, or saw her face. But the cuts that had wounded Shelby's soul were well on their way to healing. Slowly but surely, and in a few short months, Shelby would be able to leave this place, and Walt behind. Maybe not forever, but for a while. Jess on the other hand didn't have that choice. Jess was going to be there for at the very least another two years. Maybe more. Her scars were fresh wounds that shook in her everytime she closed her eyes. She might have been on the right track for recovery, but she was far from being there. The scowl on Jessica's face was one that Shelby had worn many times. It usually meant that she was thinking. "Hey Jess?" She saw the younger girl look up and smiled. "What ya thinking about?"  
  
"David asked me this question, and I can't think of an answer." She was only half lying. David had asked her the question, but that wasn't what she was thinking about. Her thoughts were on her sister.  
  
"Maybe I can help?" Daisy smiled again.  
  
"Okay..." The younger Merrick took a few seconds to remember the question. "If you could have lunch with any one person, dead or alive, who would you chose?" That was how she had conviced herself that David was crazy. The look on Daisy's face was one of mock concentration.   
  
"Hmmm......that is a tough one." Daisy looked over at David and made a face at him. She loved being imature. "Somebody who could make a good lunch, I guess." She offered with a lopsided grin. Jess returned Daisy's smile and hopped over a piece of fallen foliage. "Hey Davey boy?" She shouted up at David, who was walking just behind Juliet. "I got one for you?" David slowed down and took to walking next to Jessica, who formed some sort of human barrier between the two. "If you could beat the crap out of any person, dead or alive, who would it be?" She held up a fist for emphasis.   
  
David couldn't help but to laugh out loud. "You wouldn't want to hurt little ole me would you?" He asked sweetly, putting on his best puppy dog face. "What did I ever do to you?"   
  
"Breathe?" Daisy offered helpfully. She turned to watch as Shelby took Scott's hand and swung it around for a second. The two just laughed. "You think I should talk to him?" She asked David, completely ignoring the smaller girl in the middle.   
  
Laughter sprang up from David once more. "Been there, tried that." He nudged Jess with his shoulder. "Not unlike smothering a forrest fire with NAPALM, as I recall."   
  
The younger Merrick slowed and allowed the others to pass her. She stopped and waited patiently for Shelby and Scott to walk up next to her. As if she were ever so small again, Jessica wedged herself between them, making sure they had to unlock their hands. "Can I talk to my sister?" She asked Scott pointedly. Scott only nodded. "ALONE." She commanded. There was no mistaking the resemblence now. Scott hurried his stride and caught up with David and Daisy, passing them he went up to talk to Ezra. "Why did you let him back into you're life?" She asked harshly. She was so angery at Shelby for putting herself through the whole 'Scott adventure' again. "After all he's done, how could you do that?"  
  
"Calm down Jess." Shelby wrapped a thin arm around her sisters.' "Don't you think you're being a LITTLE too judgemental about this?"  
  
"Judgemental?" Jess repeated the word. "If I was anymore openminded about the choices that you two have made about your 'relationship,' my entire brain would fall out!" She couldhold her anger any longer. Yes, she wanted Scott to come back to the group. They needed him. But she only wanted him to be part of the GROUP. She didn't want him to be part of Shelby's life. "It doesn't take an idoit to see what's going on between you two. I'm starting to think that all you two need each other for is sex. That's the only way I could justify you taking him back so quickly." Jessica pushed her sister away from her and raced up to Peter and Sophie.   
  
  
  
They finally reached Horizon about half an hour before dinner. They all went their seperate ways and promised to meet up with each other for dinner. Most of the Cliffhangers were in the dinner line when Daisy realized that Jess wasn't there. She nudged Ezra to tell him to get her some food and that she'd be back in a few minutes, then she headed up to the girls dorm to find Shelby's little sister. She wasn't there. Then she went down to the dock, where she foung Jess. Holding Shelby's knife.   
  
"She puts it with her cigarettes, you know?" Jess stated as if she was talking to herself. "That's how she got it up to the cabin without anyone noticing. It looks like a large lighter if she puts it in there the right way." Jess made a slicing movement in the air. She wasn't unfimilar with cutting herself, or the weight of the knife.   
  
"I know how you feel, Jess I really do." It was the only thing that Dasiy could say. She wasn't ready to talk to Jess about this. This is a conversation that Shelby should have had. She actually knew everything that was going on inside her sister's head . Daisy was just the newbie at this. "I know how it feels to be betrayed by someone. I know how much life hurts."   
  
"Oh, right." Jess shot back. The truth was, she didn't know anything about Daisy. She had never asked why she was there, nor had Daisy taken the time to tell her. Jessica just presumed that she was a habitual runaway. "Cause the burden of being beautiful and mysterious, oh THAT'S a real crippler."  
  
'I'm going to kill Shelby for this.' Daisy thought harshly. "You know what? I was wrong about you. You are just a spoiled child." She knew that this wasn't what she should be saying to a girl holding a knife, but she couldn't help herself. "My life happens to on ocassion SUCK beyond the telling of it. Sometimes more than I can handle." She had to give herself credit for being completely honest with Jess. It wasn't easy to talk about you're life. Inching closer and closer to the girl, Daisy sat down on the edge ofthe dock with a hint of protest from Jess. "Every single kid here is ignoring your pain because they're to busy with their own. The runaways, the druggies," she waved her hand at Shelby's knife. "The cutters....Everyone. It might look quiet inside the lodge. It's not. It's defining. It's louder in there than you could possibly imagine." The younger one shrugged and loosened her grip on the knife. "You know I could have taken that by now." She motioned to the knife again.  
  
"I know."   
  
Daisy closed her eyes and prayed that this would turn out better than it would have if she were talking to Shelby. She reopened her eyes and held her hand out. "I prefer to do it this way." She watched as Jess placed the knife in the palm of her hand. Dropping the knife onto the dock on the other side of her, Daisy pulled the girl closer to her and set her head on top of Jess's. "You and me kiddo, we're a lot alike." She whispered so softly that she doubted that she could hear her. There was a time that I thought the people here on this world existed only to hurt each other. But then I came here. To Horizon." A pale hand swept over the campus. "I found out that there were other kinds of people. People who genuinely want to do right." She moved her head to look into the young one's eyes. "They still make mistakes. They fall down. But they keep caring. Keep trying." Pink lips came in contact with peach colored flesh, and Daisy kissed Jessica's forehead. "If you can trust us, Jess, this can all change. You don't have to go back into that darkness. You don't have to keep hurting yourself."  
  
"I know."   
  
They sat there in silance for another few minutes before Daisy decided that Jess needed her just like Shelby did. "You want to talk about it?" She asked solomly. The only way she was going to get Jessica to open up was to treat her just like Shelby. "It'll help stop the hurt."  
  
"I'm not worried about hurting myself." Jessica admitted. "I'm scared for Shelby." Off of Daisy's look she decided to elaborate. "Everytime she opens herself up to him he hurts her. I can't watch her go through that again. It's just.....you never really know what's going on inside somebody, do you?" She rubbed her face with her hands and then ran them through her hair. "You think you care about them.....but you don't know enough about them to."  
  
"That's why you go on faith. You sit there silantly watching as they destory their life, then when they are on the cliff, getting ready to fling themselves off, that's when you're allowed to help." Daisy watched the light reflect off of the water. "That's when you let them hang until they allow you to pull them back up."  
  
Jessica thought for a moment. "So that's what Peter means by 'Cliffhanger?' We allow each other to hang from the ledge, but we don't force them to come back up until they're ready?"  
  
Daisy started to stand up. "I think you might be right." She slid the knife into her pocket and helped Jess off of the wood. "Now I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." She watched Jess nod. "Let's go get some food."  
  
  
  
It was nothing but talk about the Morp all through dinner. Juliet couldn't shut up about it. She even ate all the food that Auggie had put on her plate. That all by its self was enough to celebrate. After dinner, however, Scott decided that that news was enough for him to do what he wanted to do the first day that he was back with the group. He lead everyone into the main room of the lodge and made everyone sit down. Then he asked Peter to go and get his bag. Everyone waited in anticipation as Scott unzipped his bag and crouched next to it. Looking around the room, Scott was reminded of how they used to hang out like that before he left. Juliet was, as usual, sharing one of the larger chairs next to the fireplace. Daisy was on the floor, semi-squished between Ezra and Jess, who were laying on either side of her. Ezra was the closest to the couch, and every few seconds he would get hit with one of Shelby's feet as she swung them back and forth. Shelby was the lone occupant on the couch, even after David tried to sit on her. He wound up on the floor beneath Juliet and Auggie. He just sat there for a few seconds. That was before Shelby proved that she was more impatient than anyone   
  
"Can we get on with this?" She snapped at Scott.  
  
David smiled and nudged Auggie's foot. "For once, man." He said simply. "I agree with Blondie over there." The room nodded with silent complience. "We've been sitting here for at least ten minutes,and we STILL have no clue what we're doing here." David smiled pointedly at Shelby. "I think some of us have some more important things that we could be doing?" Shelby nodded and looked over at Scott.  
  
"Okay, okay." Scott reached into his bag and moved it around, trying to look for the large wooden box that he knew was in there somewhere. "When I found out I was coming back, I decided to bring at least one thing for everyone. With my dad's money, I thought it would be okay with Peter if I got something that would make being on this mountain a little more bareable." He pulled out the large box and handed it to Auggie. Auggie looked at Peter cautioously before popping the lock and looking inside. "I found those in a little art shop a few blocks from my shrinks office." He said calmly as Auggie held up a case full of pastels, paints, markers and colored pencils. "I thought it might help you to have some one you're own."  
  
Auggie pulled out a few of the pencils and admired the craftsmanship. "Thanks Meat. I've never had an art set before." He showed them to Juliet and she marbled at how expensive they looked. Scott reminded her that he used his father's money, not his own.   
  
Next Scott pulled out a brown box that had the word Daisy written on it. He passed the present over to her, and she shook it strangely. When she was sure that it wasn't a bomb, she started to pull the tape off of it. "I found those in this reall weird shop in the mall." He smiled as she pulled out a pack of tarot cards and a set of ten multi-sized jasmine candles. They both knew that she wouldn't be able to light them unless the group was all together, but it was the thought that counted. "I didn't know what scent you liked, but Mom told me that her favorite was jasmine, so I thought that might do." Daisy nodded approvingly, as Shelby took one of the candles away from her and took a big sniff.   
  
David's present came next. Scott had bought him a few books on manners, and a few words puzzle books. Then there was Juliet. She had recieved a ton of back issues of Seventeen, as well as a new make-up kit and some more lotion. To say that she was happy about it would be an understatement. She was so happy that Auggie had to hold her in her seat. Ezra had gotten a camcorder, a camera, and an entire box full of film and tapes. Daisy noted that Ezra's present alone had to be at the very least a couple hundred dollars, but Scott had shrugged it off as if it were nothing. Jessica almost refused to take the present that Scott had handed her, but Daisy passed it to her. If it weren't for that, Jess wouldn't have opened it. Inside was a jewelry box full of necklaces and bracelets and rings. It was as if he bought it fully stocked with both gold and silver charms. Jess sat up and gave Scott a huge hug.   
  
At last it was Shelby's turn. No one knew what to expect when Scott started by handing her a rectangular box that was about the legnth of Shelby's hand, wrist to the tip of her middle finger. It was about as deep as a shoebox. She pulled the ribbon away and opened the box cautiously. Inside were groups of letters, each tied together by a single ribbon. Shelby counted all of the stacks and looked up quizically. There were five stacks of envalopes. "There's one there for every day I was gone." He noted thoughtfully. "I was too scared to mail them." Shelby smiled and placed the stacks back into the box. She handed the box to Daisy just to recieve another box from Scott. "I didn't get this one for you until I was already here. I had Mom send it to me." Shelby opened a box that looked very simalar to the one that he had given Auggie to reveal an art set that looked a little more professional than Auggie's. "Peter and Sophie told me that you like to draw. I thought you might need that." He noticed that Shelby was biting her lip so she wouldn't start crying. No one had ever done anything like that for her. Never. The last box he held out to her was small. It was just bigger than a ring box. Shelby eyed that one strangely before opening it. The necklace was exquisite. A single pearl was threaded through a delicate gold chain. There was also a note on the top that read: Lift the padding up later. No one in the room expected Shelby to do what she did after that. She jumped off of the couch and gave Scott a long kiss that would still linger on his lips even after they no longer touched. The funny thigs was, neither Peter nor Sophie did anything about it.  
  
"How come Shell gets more presents than us?" David asked calmly. Both boys knew that he was only joking, so Scott decided to play along.  
  
"Cause I actually LIKE her." He stated sharply   
  
Ezra got into the game a bit. "But we LOVE you Scott." He pulled himself out from behind Daisy and tried to hug him. Shelby just sat there laughing at them.   
  
That was before she noticed Jeff walking up to the group, followed by someone that looked vaguely fimilar. Peter turned and walked over to them, talking silently so none of the others could hear them. The guy that Jeff had brought into the lodge was tall, about the same size as Peter. He had short brown hair that partially covered his beautiful green eyes. Juliet took a noticed to him immediately. She scooted next to Shelby and started pointing out his many attributes. Including his designer suit and Rolex watch. Finally Peter pointed to the group that was next to the fire, and the misterous man stepped foreward. His eyes held Shelby's and she felt like she was the only girl in the room. He flashed a million dollar smile, and Shelby was certain she knew who it was immediately. "Alex." She whispered just loud enough for Scott and Daisy to hear her.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*You didn't think I'd leave you THERE did you? Of course not. Here's a taste of what's to come.  
  
  
Alex nodded in Shelby's direction and smiled. He was finally close enough to touch her. She stood slowly and took careful steps to where he was standing. Everyone in the room was watching them very carefully, Scott was tensing rapidly, and Daisy scooted out from behind Jess and moved to sit behind him. She kept one hand on him at all times. But Alex noticed none of that. The only thing on his mind was Shelby. He let out his breath and that he didn't realize that he had been holding. "Slate." He said softly. "You look......." His throat caught again and he wasn't sure what his next words was going to be. "......."  
  
"So do you." Shelby pulled him into a huge hug and he kissed her forehead. That was all it took for Scott to jump up from his place on the floor and rush to her side. Daisy collasped on top of his bag, she had been trying to hold him, but her efforts weren't enough. She silantly prayed that he wouldn't do something crazy. Then again, this was Scott she was talking about.  
  
  
  
*If you want this story to continue, I expect at least 15 reviews. You guys have done it before, and I have no doubt that you can do it again. 


	2. Past Plans Unravel

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father.~   
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~  
*I'm gonna be mean and ask for 15 reviews again. Come on....You can do it. You can even make them short ones.  
  
*The first two paragraphs are the end of the last section. I wanted to remind you what has already happened.   
  
"The eyes are the window to ones soul."~Unknown.  
  
  
Alex nodded in Shelby's direction and smiled. He was finally close enough to touch her. She stood slowly and took careful steps to where he was standing. Everyone in the room was watching them very carefully, Scott was tensing rapidly, and Daisy scooted out from behind Jess and moved to sit behind him. She kept one hand on him at all times. But Alex noticed none of that. The only thing on his mind was Shelby. He let out his breath and that he didn't realize that he had been holding. "Slate." He said softly. "You look......." His throat caught again and he wasn't sure what his next words was going to be. "......."  
  
"So do you." Shelby pulled him into a huge hug and he kissed her forehead. That was all it took for Scott to jump up from his place on the floor and rush to her side. Daisy collasped on top of his bag, she had been trying to hold him, but her efforts weren't enough. She silantly prayed that he wouldn't do something crazy. Then again, this was Scott she was talking about.  
  
************************  
  
  
Shelby put herself between Scott and Alex. She knew that he wouldn't risk hitting her on accident. "Scott!" She heard Auggie yell, before Juliet was unceremonously dumped on the floor. Juliet recovered though, grabbing a hold of Jess, so the younger wouldn't be tempted to get involved. Ezra and David stayed close to Daisy. Auggie got a hold of Scott by the back of his shirt and thrust him over to the couch. Beong the stubburn guy that Scott was, he tried to stand up immediately. Auggie just kept pushing him down until he noticed Shelby was still standing in front of Alex. "Why don't you take him outside until we get Meat under control?" He offered helpfully. After a few nods, Shelby agreed.   
  
Once outside, Shelby looked up at Alex. "Sorry about that." She wasn't used to apologizing to Alex. "He's......" She ran her hands over her face and looked out over the campus. "He's just protective." She tried to explain. "I-" Alex knew that he shouldn't have kissed her, but he just felt the urge to. He some sort of feeling that Shelby was going to kill him when she broke the kiss. "What the HELL was that about?" She asked him, stunned.   
  
"It was a kiss-"  
  
"I know what it was." She smiled, she knew where he was coming from. He was just excited to see that she was still alive. A small laugh escaped her lips. "I...can't believe you just did that." She coughed between giggles. "Loser."  
  
A tan hand came up as if he'd been shot in the chest. "You mark me with you're words." He laughed, pulling her into another hug. "I missed you, Slate." He kissed the top of her head again and sat down on the top step. "So tell me about this place. I don't see any bars around here? I thought they had sent you to a lock down facility?"  
  
"I refused to go to Fern Cliff, so they put me up on this rock." Her jeans gathered at her knees as she slid down next to him. "It's not all that bad when you get used to it. You talk alot about you're 'feelings,' and one gets tons of exercise." Her voice wavered slightly, and she closed her eyes. "Why'd you come back?" Her words hit like a ton of bricks. She knew the wouldn't tell her the truth. That was written across his face. He was there for her, if only she could get him to admit it. "Alex?"  
  
It was Alex's turn to laugh softly. "One of my father's associates has a son that goes here." He said simply. "I'm assuming the guy who wanted to take a few pieces out of me was Scott?" His smile was all knowing, as her look of confusion spread. "Martin Barringer is a longtime friend of my father's. They've been working together for years. Scott and I used to play ball together when we were kids. He never did like me much." Alex nodded as realization donned on her face. "I followed Martin up here so we could still talk business while he stayed and spent time with his son. He felt guilty about not giving him a proper good-bye."   
  
"Oh."  
  
"I was origionally just going to stay in town until I had lunch with Martin one day. He showed me a picture of Scott and some of his friends. Aparently they call themselves the Cliffhangers?" Alex's eyes were looking at her with so many emotions to count.   
  
Shelby's face started to noticeablely redden. "Oh, God." Shelby put her hand up to her face to hide her embarrassment. "That's the name Peter gave our group. He gives us just enough rope to hang ourselves, but he doesn't let us drop off the mountain." The more she talked, the more she noticed that she babbled. "Something like that-"  
  
"Well," he went on with his story. "I was looking at this picture that he showed me and guess who I saw?" He poked her on the nose, and steadied his gaze. "He tells me that you and Scott are some sort of item?"  
  
"Some sort." Shelby tried to calm herself. Thankfully enough, Juliet came out and smiled at them.  
  
"We've got Scott calmed down." She said happily. "Somewhat." She smiled whole heartedly at Alex. "Peter's sitting with him. I don't think you'll have a problem with him." Juliet watched as Alex stood and gingerly helped Shelby up. "Peter wanted me to ask you if you wouldn't mind introducing him to the group. He thinks it might help Scott calm down."  
  
Shelby brushed the hair out of her eyes and straightened out her shirt. "I doubt it." She laughed. "He IS Scott after all." Juliet smiled and opened the door to the lodge. "Showtime." Shelby whispered to Alex on their way through the door. The entire room had been re-arranged, people wise. Peter and Scott sat on the couch, Sophie had taken her usual spot on the end of it. Closer to the fire. Auggie sat on the floor in front of Scott. Hampering any thought Scott might have of jumping at Alex again. Daisy sat next to Ezra on the floor next to the fireplace. Jess was laying across them, her head in Ezra's lap. David was the lone survivor that managed to obtain the chair. He had fought Juliet for it, she seemed to have given up and was now helping Auggie keep Scott in place. Everyone's eyes were on Shelby and what she was going to do next. "Okay, guys, this is the guy that I was telling you about. Cliffhangers, this is Alex Wallace." Everyone raised their hands in silant greeting, waiting to be introduced to him individually. "Alex." Shelby took another deep breath and regained her composure. She decided to start with Juliet's side of the room "This is Juliet Waybourne, Auggie Cieros, Peter Scarburrow," Shelby held onto herself long enough to let him shake their hands in turn.  
  
"Waybourne?" Alex eyed her suspiciously. "Hal's step-daughter?" Juliet nodded happily. "He speaks very highly of you." He watched her smile grow and he smiled back. "Although I could have sworn that you're mother said that you were in a boarding school in New York?"  
  
"My mother doesn't like me very much, right now." Juliet said while still maintaining her happy tone. "She doesn't want anyone to know that I ended up at Horizon." Alex nodded to Peter, who smiled at him to assure him that he was doing fine.  
  
Shelby delibritly skipped over Scott. He was going to need everyone on his side if he were to survive Scott. "That's Peter's wife Sophie." She pointed to the end of the couch and let her finger glide over the three next to the fire. She was going to skip her sister too. "That's Daisy Lipenowski, and Ezra Friedkin."   
  
Alex moved to shake Daisy's hand. "I was very sorry to hear about your mother's death." He shook Ezra's hand and smiled down at him.  
  
David decided to make as much trouble as possible. "You seem to know everyone around here don't you?" He smirked as a pillow came in contact with his head,  
  
"My father does business with Mr. Row," Alex explained calmly. "I work with Mr. Lipenowski on occassion. My father's firm is used to a very high clientell." Shelby was suprised how professional. "I take it you would be David Ruxton?" He asked firmly. Everyone in the room gasped. "Shelby told me about you when I called her this morning." The explenation would have to do seeing as though he didn't want to tell everyone that he had his secretary pull up the papers on everyone in Shelby's group. He turned to the little one between Ezra and Daisy. Nodding at Shelby, she realized that she almost forgot about her.  
  
"Alex this is my sister, Jessica." Shelby filled in as Jessica climbed to her feet next to her sister. She looked his suit up and down before nodding her approval to her sister. Shelby's hand was planted firmly on her sister's butt, gently, but enough to keep her in line. Then she turned to Scott. "And this is Scott Barringer." Scott shook his hand formally. He opened his mouth as if to speak, only to be interupted.  
  
"Alex?" Connie stood at the door of the lodge, her briefcase tucked under her left arm. She had changed into a pair of snug fitting jeans and a white turtleneck. She looked as if she belonged on the mountain, but totally out of place with the Cliffhangers. Shelby turned to face the new comer and Connie gasped. "Mr. Wallace." She corrected herself. She should have never called him by his first name. Hearing Connie say his name, Alex turned. He nodded to her, and she approached him cautiously. "Mr. Wallace, Jerry called again. He wanted you to look at the papers on Ms. Anansie's account. He said that if you want to seize the account you'd need Ms. Harding's signature on a few documents." She looked directly at Shelby when she said this, knowing full well that she was Ms. Harding.  
  
Shelby turned and threw a look at Alex. "I thought you told me that Patty's files had been wiped when the cops traced the room back to her?" She was near tears to find out that there was still some money out there for her somewhere. Her eyes pleaded with him to tell her the truth. "Alex, what happened to Patty's account?"   
  
"It had been seized by one of Patty's boyfriends." He was telling her the truth, or at least part of it. "Jonathan was to keep matching the amount that she would have put into it if she were still alive until you were able to get on you're feet and use it." He reached out for the file that Connie had in her hand. "Jonathan didn't have any of the access codes, so he decided to get gone until you were desperate enough to agree to give him half the account in exchange for opening it." He thumbed through some of the pictures until he came in contact with the newspaper clipping from the day Jonathan died. "When he died, the account was lost." He handed the paper to Shelby who scanned over it. "I talked to Jerry McConnel, my friend from school, you know the one that took you and Patty shopping the day after you got to the apartment? Well, Jerry located the account, and I asked him to see if I could get control of it." His eyes pleaded with hers to believe him. "I don't need the money, but if I could only get a hold of the account, I could do what Patty always wanted Jon to do." He tossed the folder back at Connie and took Shelby's chin in his hand. "I only wanted to do what I promised her I'd do."   
  
The room became deathly quiet. Everyone wanted to know what she was going to do. Shelby bit her bottom lip in frustration. "How much is in it?" She asked harshly. She wasn't too keen on the idea of having other people messing with Patty's things. When Alex didn't respond, Shelby grabbed the file out of Connie's hand. Flipping through the file, she finally came accross the page that told her the amount. "Son of a Mother." She whispered quietly. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" She asked keeping her voice low. Alex didn't say a thing. "ALEX. Why didn't you tell me the day she died that she left me thirteen thou?"   
  
The edge in her voice proved to him that she was once again Slate Harding, and that any minute she could snap. "I didn't know how much was in it until I had Jerry track down the funds. Truth is, you weren't even supposed to know about it until you're eighteenth birthday. I just wanted to stock it so you could have a nice landing pad when you got out of here."  
  
Shelby knew that he was telling her the truth. She didn't want to believe it, but he was. So she decided to change the subject. She turned her attention to Connie. "Girlfriend?" She asked pointedly.  
  
Alex shook his head. "Secretary." He took the file out of her hands and handed it back to Connie. "Constance Marks, this is Shelby Merrick." He looked around the room. "Or for all intents and LEGAL purposes Slate Harding-"  
  
"Don't call me that." Shelby spat in Alex's face. "Just because you come to visit me after three years, does NOT mean that you get to go back to the way things used to be." She gave up and moved over to where the fire was. "It's Shelby now." She took a few deep breaths and looked over at Scott. "Where are you staying?" She was trying to hint to the fact that he was staying with Scott's father, but she knew full well that Alex wouldn't give anything away.  
  
"This little bed and breakfast up next to Rusty's. It's really cute, you would like it."  
  
That's when David got his idea. "Hey Peter, I've got a question?" He watched as Peter turned to look over at him and Daisy. "What do you say we let Alex here stay with us?" A look of confusion spread across Shelby's face. On some level she knew what he was doing. She just didn't know why. "I mean all we're doing is planning the Morp, and us guys have an extra bed in our bunk?" He was trying so hard to make it so difficult for Peter to say no. "It would save him from having to commute if he's gonna be up here anyway."   
  
Daisy picked up on the vibe that David was sending out. He wanted to make Scott and Alex get used to each other. One way or the other. "Yeah Peter, or we could spend tonight in the lodge, then tomarrow, depending on how we act tonight, you can let us stay here again or whatever." Off of Sophie's look she pressed further. "It would be like we were at the Solo Cabin, without the non-supervision thing. You could even make us stick togeather the entire time. It would be EXACTLY like we were at the cabin." Her eyes pleaded with him to trust them. "Come on Peter, you know you want to say yes."  
  
Peter thought for a moment. "Okay." He held up his hand to silance their cheers. "First," Peter turned to Alex, "You want to stay here with them? It's you're call." It took only a second before Alex nodded. "Second, I'm going to require you to have Group before me and Soph leave, and again right after everyone's awake. if you agree to my terms, we can start unloading sleeping bags." The Group cheered again and Sophie took Ezra and Scott to go bring in sleeping bags.   
  
"Are you sure you want to do this sir?" Connie asked Alex after Shelby went to help Daisy move the couch so they had more room on the floor. "You don't know why these children are in here. I think you're getting a little too far in over you're head."  
  
Alex was touched by her concern. "I DO know why they're in here remember? You got me the file." He played off of her pathetic look. That's how he realized that he really wanted to do this. It was for Shelby. "Just go get my bags out of the car, and go back to the B and B. Tell Martin that I'll be there to talk to him about some things tomarrow morning." He brushed past her and went to help them move a table from the dining room out into the main area. Connie had no choice but to comply with his orders. Even though she didn't like it.   
  
  
Juliet created a huge sign, with Shelby's help, that read "Cliffhanger's Section," and Alex helped hang it over the couch. They had moved the couch and a few pieces of rope over to where it created a sort of path from the stairs, around the main section past the door, to the dining hall. Peter said that for the next week, that area was Cliffhanger property. Auggie and Scott cleared the floor and laid down sleeping bags after Jessica vaccumed the floor. Ezra and Daisy were working on the fire, and David was out with Sophie, chopping enouhg fire wood to last them the night. They would have to draw straws the next morning to see who would go out in the cool September air to get more.   
  
After all the moving and redecorating, Peter pulled everyone into a small, spread out circle to hold Group. He told everyone that Alex could participate if he wanted, and not to push. Then he moved out of the circle and comanded that they were to start Group as they had when they were at the Cabin. Auggie took control immediately. "Okay..." He started cautiously, watching Scott's face. "Why don't we start simple." He took the small stick that Peter used for Group and turned it over in his hand. "I feel, fill in the blank. Jules?"  
  
Juliet caught the stick and smiled over at Alex, who was lounging against the front of the couch. "Happy!" She squeeled, watching as half the group members put a finger to their ears. "Daisy?"  
  
"Tired. Shells?"   
  
Shelby looked from one guy to the next. Both Scott and Alex were trying to protect her from the other. Neither could understand that she didn't need saving, not yet anyway. "Confused. Ezra?" She hurled the stick across the room, and it landed in Ezra's lap.   
  
"Angry." He looked between Scott and Alex, debating who to throw it to next. His curisoty got the best of him, and he threw it blindly. "Alex?"  
  
Alex looked from Shelby to Scott. He could sense a major emotion between them, but he couldn't place it. Aparently Shelby had gotten better at hiding her feelings. "Ummm.....Confident. Scott?"  
  
That was the last thing Shelby thought he'd do. Scott caught the stick and glared at Alex. "Amazingly enough calm." He said cooly. "Jess?"   
  
Seeing as though Jessica was sitting next to him, he didn't have to throw it. "Blind." She handed the stick to David.   
  
"Sheepish." He said jokingly. He handed the stick to Auggie.  
  
"Tough." Auggie looked to Peter for guidence and got his inspiration. "Idstead of saying why, we're going to go around and give one sentence on why we're here." His dark eyes focased on David. "And we're ALL going to take this seriously." He turned to Shelby and handed the stick to her. "You're up first Shell. Don't rush it." Then everyone in the room fell silent. 


	3. ONE

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father.~   
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~  
  
  
"The eyes are the window to ones soul."~Unknown.  
  
  
Silance was shattered with a single cough. Even Peter was silant to hear Shelby talk about why she was here. "One sentence?" She repeated Auggie's request slowly, rolling the words over her tounge to see how they sounded. "One THOUSAND maybe." The walls of the lodge echoed with quiet laughter, as Alex suddenly realized he had missed so much in Shleby's life to the point where he didn't even know what they found so funny. All Shelby could offer him was a semi kind smile. "One sentence." She rapeated again. "I'm here because..." Her voice lifted slightly. "I'm here because......" The little stick rolled from one hand to the other as her thoughts progressed. "Because my heart couldn't handle what my mind had convinced my body to do." Auggie nodded knowingly, and her eyes scanned the rest of the room. When her eyes met Scott's, however, fear flashed in his eyes and he forced himself to break the connection their eyes made. Tears welled up in Shelby's eyes and she forced them back as long as she could. "Looks like it's not the only one." Her voice disapeared after the last word. The stick threaetened to slip from her grasp, and she threw it at Scott's head before she stodd and raced out the door. Scott stodd as soon as he was sure the stick wouldn't hit him and moved to follow her. His way was blocked, however, by Alex's tall form. He tried to move around him, only to remain blocked by the sheer size of Alex's broad shoulders.  
  
A small man, Alex was not, but it wasn't his size that scared Scott more than the fact the Alex could definately use what he had against Scott. And Scott knew he would. Alex wasn't about to let him passed to get to Shelby. "I think you've already done enough." Alex gave him one solid push back, before turning and following Shleby out of the large wooden door. It boomed shut leaving them in silance.  
  
The silance was deadly, as all eyes fell on Scott. Everyone was thinking the exact same thing. Scott really screwed up this time. There was no mistaking that he had a snowballs chance in Hell of getting Shelby to take him back. And this was BEFORE they found out the real truth. David still sat in his usual spot next to Jessica and the fire. "Well," he said simply. "That went well." He turned to Ezra. "Don't you think. Ezra went to nod and stopped because of the look on Scott's face.  
  
White hot anger flashed in Scott's, and David hopes he could hold it sucessfully seeing as thought Peter was still in the room. "Step off Newbie." Scott turned to look at avid one more time. He was more angry at himselfthan anyone else in the room. The only reason he couldn't look her in the eye was because of the stupid act that he had committed. It had cost him her joy. He had taken so so much from her in the past few days. First with him showing up, and then again with his mistake with Britany, of course, Shelby didn't know about that one yet. The phone rang, shattering the silance.   
  
  
Alex found Shelby crouched in the far end of the gazebo. The place where the light hid her features so he almost missed her. The thin lines on her face showed many tears, though she had calmed her sobs to where they were almost unaudible. If anyting happened to her, Alex held his breath. Scott would pay. "Shelby?" He asked calmly. He wasn't sure what to expect, he hadn't seen her like this in a very long time. Her small jerked, and her large blue eyes looked up at him. "Aw....Shell." Alex picked her up from her hiding spot and carried her over to one of the wooden benches. "He knows nothing about you. About the world, the streets. He catches footballs and sleeps with cheerleaders. You're better off without him."  
  
"Am I?" Shelby removed her sweater to show a light blue blue tanktop and moved her arm so the moonlight reflected off the bandage. After knew what itwas right away. "Who am I? Am I that completely scared girl, waiting in her bed? Am I that runaway, that junkie, that whore? Am I this girl who climbs mountains? Maybe I'm nothing. I'm nothing but the fear." She ran her hands over her face and through her hair.   
  
There was no correct answer to that question. There wasn't aeven a correct THOUGHT to that question. Then he remembered something Patty told him once. About Shelby's one little flaw. Her pride. "I know you think you can handle this. And you've gotten used to being on you're own." He took her chin in his hand and turned her face to look at his. "You've got you're tough loner act down pretty well. But even I can see you're killing yourself over this guy. He's not worht it Shells. You have to be stronger than this."  
  
"Strong." Her voice came out louder than she expected it too. "You know nothing about my stregnth." She was telling half of the truth. Alex had gotten a good look at Shelby's stregnth the first night after Patty died. "You can only trust yourself. up here, I should have learned that by now...I should have remembered it."  
  
The look on her face was tearing him apart. The bandage on her arm was meant to make her point, but it only made HIM feel more about her. No words could be spoken to try to ease her pain. He knew that he shouldn't even attempt it. "You don't have to pretend for me, Shelby. I'm not like them. You don'ot have to be scared of me learning about you. I know too much."  
  
Shelby let out a short, startled laugh. "The only thing worse than a person trying to read you," she said off handedly. "Are the ones who get it right." They both had heard it many times, both knew where it came from.  
  
"Well, Patty you're not." Alex started to say.  
  
"I'm stronger then that." Shelby laughed to herself.  
  
Alex looked out into the trees and noticed something moving. "Hey." He asked the trees loudly. Shelby thought she was crazy until Daisy stepped out into the light. Alex relaxed. "How long have you been there?"  
  
"Long enough to know you're right."  
  
Shelby turned away from Alex. "What brings you out here?"   
  
"Peter." Her voice was sterdy, as if mocking the fact the Peter would be worried about her. "He wanted to make sure you were okay. It was either me or Scott coming out and since Scott got a phone call..." She paused and watched the look on Shelby's face change from sorrow to anger. "And right now you're wondering who in their right mind would call our Scott Barringer while he's up here on this rock? Well her name would be Britany Woods. Ezra told me Scott told him about her on our way back from the cabin. According to Ezra, they got pretty 'close.' She's a cheerleader at his school. I know I know...Go figure." She paused and watch Shelby rise and head up to the lodge. Alex went to leave and Daisy grabbed his arm. "You want me to help you with her?" Alex nodded. "Okay, Lets say I help, and you start a conversation. It goes great. You like her, she likes you. You spend time togeather. Feelings grow deeper, and one day, without even realizing it, you find you're in love. Time stops and it feels like the whole world was created for you two and you two alone. Until one day one of you leaves and rips the still-beating heart from the other, who's now a hallow mockery of the human condition."  
  
It only took a second for Alex to realize the she was helping him. "Yeah. That's pretty much the plan." Daisy nodded and all was fine. Until they heard the crash.  
  
Both of them went running into the building. Shelby stood on the other side of Sophie, her hands trying to smooth out her hair. Scott was standing a few feet from the necklace box that had crashed into the table. No one else was remotely close to him. Auggie was standing next to the stairs, Juliet standing next to him on the first step. David and Ezra were sitting on either side of Jess next to the fire, and Peter was standing off to the side next to the piano. "Why didn't you talk to me?!" She said into her hands. Remaining calm wasn't one of her stronger points. "I knew, I knew you...ass hole! And you just stood there and told me everything was fine!" Alex took a step to her then stopped. "That's as bad as....as...."   
  
"I know how it feels." Scott couldn't look her in the face. He was so ashamed, not of her, but of what he let himself do. "I remember." He knew that he had made a mistake the second the words escaped his lips. Her eyes told him.  
  
"Oh, so what? This payback?" It took everything she had not to hit him. "I had this coming?"   
  
"No, that's not-"   
  
Becaus I thought the was behind us!" Shelby forced herself to take a step away from him. "And you know what happened back then with...I just doesn't compare! Not with what you and I have." She bowed her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Or had. And not with whatever you have been doing with HER." Sophie too a step closer to Peter, her eyes searching for a sign about what she was to do. Peter just stood there. What Shelby was going to say needed to be said. He put his hand on her shoulder to hold her back from anything drastic.  
  
"I don't know what Britany and I did." Scott tried to explain to her. To them. He knew she wouldn't listen, but it still needed to be said. "You know when I'm wasted, it's like I'm gone and....." He wasn't sure what he was more ashamed of. What he did with Britney, or to admit that he fell when he was at home, and the temptation was too much for him. "Something else takes over."  
  
"Shelby didn't want to listen to the rest of it. She'd heard enough. There was only one more question that her heart wanted to know. One more question for her head to ask. "But before that, when you were...just normal Scott. You had feelings for her, didn't you?" Scott didn't answer at first. "DIDN'T YOU?!"  
  
"I might have sensed something, yes. But-"  
  
"BUT! You wanted her!" Shelby threw the closest item to her at him. Scott thanked God that it was only one of the pillows from the couch. "You wanted her." Peter looked away for only a moment, and when he looked back, Shelby was on the floor. He didn't want to know how she got there. "Mo-More than you wanted me?" Only a select few heard Shelby's final words and her sobs became louder and she burst into tears. Daisy was at her side immediately, followed by Juliet. Auggie moved himself between Scott and Alex, knowing all too well what the older boy would do to the other. He prayed it would be enough.  
  
*I'm gonna be mean and ask for 15 reviews again. Come on....You can do it. You can even make them short ones. 


	4. What about Brittany?

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father.~   
  
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~  
~The song I'm using in this one isn't mine either, it belongs to the Backstreet Boys, it's called: How Did I Fall In Love With You? From their new album Black and Blue. I know some of you won't like them, but just read the lyrics before condeming the song. Please? The song is marked by (*)  
~ Remember that flashbacks are still marked by (~)  
There are a few flashbacks that are from previous part of the story, I'm putting them in here because they help define the characters that I'm trying to establish.  
  
* I'm sorry it took me so long to get it up there, I just recently moved in with my dad, and it took me forever and a day to remember what I did with my computer. Then I had to find the disk that my stuff was on. Then there was New Years. Moving during a holiday is a nightmare, not that you guys care, you just want to read the story.  
  
"The eyes are the window to ones soul."~Unknown.  
  
  
David had pulled out the CD player a few minutes after Alex and Daisy had gotten Shelby calm. Ezra had taken Scott up to the balcony to watch the events, knowing that Alex had his hands full with Shelby, but if she didn't calm down soon, Scott would be in a world of hurt. Juliet thumbed through her CDs to find the new one that her mother had sent her. Her Backstreet Boys CD. she slid it into the player, and turned it to the last track on the CD. This song had a lot of meaning to her and Auggie, and she hoped that it would help them Scott and Shelby as well. "How?" She leaned onto Auggie's shoulder and kissed his cheek. He was watching the balcony intently, not knowing what Scott was likely to do now that Shelby was hurting like that.  
  
*Remember when, we never needed each other  
The best of friends like sister and brother  
We understood we'd never be alone*  
  
Shelby closed her eyes and leaned into Daisy. She didn't want to listen to the song, but the lyrics were too strong. The tears fell silantly as Daisy just rockd her back and forth. Knowing all too well how she must have looked to the others, Alex especially. She had never in her life acted as irrationally tward another Cliffhanger as she had that day. Parts of her mind wondered if Peter would ever forgive her for her outburst.  
  
Scott watched the scene below him play out, not knowing what to do. He wanted to go down there and comfort her like he used to, but he knew what Alex would do to him if he did. The betrayal that he had comitted over the past weeks, and the damage that it had caused had completely outweighed the level of joy that everyone had felt that Scott was back. He looked at Ezra for a moment, and Ezra nodded sympathetically. It was as if Ezra knew how he was feeling somehow. It took a minute for Scott to relax, and he closed his eyes to remember all the times that him and Shelby had been togeather, the good times and bad. The memory that stuck out the most in both of their minds was one that was so incredibly painful it hurt to even brush over it lightly.  
  
*Those days are gone, now I want you so much  
The night is long and I need your touch  
Don't know what to say  
Never meant to feel this way  
Don't wanna be alone tonight*  
  
~Night had fallen, and Scott had written Shelby a note to meet him out by the gazebo. Everyone had spent the better part of the day, and most of their time after Group preparing for the very first Morp. Kat had come up with the idea just toying with the idea of a Prom. Everyone thought it was just the coolest thing. Or at least those that had dates. There wasn't a person on campus that wasn't preparing for the Morp in some way. With the exception of the two that were alone in the gazebo of course. They had something completely different on their minds.  
  
"Shelby I have to go," Scott said simply. The words cutting his heart in two. He had no way of knowing that he would be having the exact same conversation with her in a few short days. It was hard enough seeing her like this one time. He didn't know if he could do it again. "I can't stay here if I have any chance at all of being recruited to the right school." It was a lousy excuse for leaving the love of your life, but it made sense to him at the time. Football was his life, or it was. Once upon a time.  
  
She didn't know why she kept feeling an ache in her chest where her heart was. She was sitting propped up against him, her feet on the bench curled up beside her body. "I know." She tried to sound as if she actually believed her own words, she knew that he would see right through her phony words. "It's ok," she tried again. "You have a life, who says you shouldn't go live it?" She didn't want him to go, but she wanted him to be happy, and if leaving her made him happy- She didn't want to finish that sentence.  
  
Scott racked his brain for anything that would justify wat he was doing to her. Although he couldn't see her face, he could her her occasional sobs, he wasn't stupid enough to believe that her sniffles were from the cold. He knew what was going through her head. How she was only putting on a brave front so he wouldn't see that she was dying inside. "We can write letters," he tried to say lamely. "And talk on the phone." He knew how he sounded. He hated doing this, he wasn't even sure he knew why he was even doing it. He just thought it needed to be done. "You can come and and stay at my house, we got lots of room." Giving Shelby Merrick hope was one thing that no one was ever going to be good at. She had toughened herself up for reasons like these. But Scott had to try. He just had to give it a shot. "And I can come visit you here." His last sentence sounded more like a plea than a thought. It was as if he was begging her to believe him. "It doesn't have to be that bad. "  
  
She turned her head slightly, and her lips brushed his. The kiss was sweet and tender, everything that Shelby's life had been lacking before she had come to Horizon. But Shelby could see the things that Scott couldn't. She could see how things would be after he left. How much things would change. For the worse. She had done so well since he had become part of her life. Now that he was leaving, things would never be the same for her. "It is that bad," she had to make him see her side. Reality. Taking a deep breath, she calmly looked into his deep eyes. SHe could lose herself forever in those eyes. "But thats the way it is. So lets not make promises we know we won't keep." Her eyes shut for a brief moment, as she tried to regain her composure. "Lets not hope for things we know will never happen." Suddenly her mind told her to just come clean with her life. To lay everything she was out there, and let him see it. It wouldn't stop him from leaving, but at least he would know what he was leaving. "In my whole life no one has ever looked at me the way you do." She self counciously ran a hand through her hair and over her face. "No one has ever touched my face or brush my hair out of my eyes like you do, and maybe this is really selfish, but it's not just you I'm gonna miss." She gazed deeply into his eyes and said the last line carefully, almost as if she wasn't sure she could force herself to say it. "It's the way that I feel when I'm with you that I'm gonna miss even more."   
  
"It doesn't have to be over." He was begging her to believe him now. He sounded childish now, but he didn't care. He loved her more than life itself, and he needed her to be there for him. "It doesn't have to be the end."  
  
She brushed the hair out of her eyes once again and turned away from him, stil maintaining contact with his body. "Yeah it does," her lungs took in a deep breath and let it out evenly. "So... um, just say goodbye. Ok? Please?" The tears fell slowly, but both of them knew they were coming. You don't give up the only person in the entire world that you ever truely love and expect it to be easy. "Just say it?" She leaned her head on his shoulder again, and they just sat in silance. Neither of them trusting their voice to convey their message. ~  
  
*What can I do to make you mine?  
Falling so hard, so fast this time  
What did I say, what did you do?  
How did I fall in love with you?*  
  
Shelby finally fell asleep, and Alex laid down next to her in her sleeping bag. and wrapped her up tight with the spare blankets, before he knew it, he was asleep too. Completely unaware of the meaningful song that was sliding into Shelby's mind, plaguing it with thoughts of her past with Scott. The song wasn't up very loud, but to Shelby's mind it was defining. In her subconcious, he mind had linked with Scott's and suddenly she was remembering things that she wasn't there to witness.   
  
~"I went there . . . I interrupted her solo." The words hung in the air like a smoke that lingered too long. No one believed that Scott actually said what they had heard. He took a few deep breaths, trying to regain what little composure that he might have had at the time.   
  
Daisy was the first one to react. "You did what?"   
  
Scott rubbed his face again and looked at Daisy. Sophie was rapidly pulling her jacket back on. She had to get out there and find Shelby before the storm had the chance to get worse. "What happened?" She demanded as she relaced her boots to make sure they would be able to stand the water. "Tell me. Everything."   
  
Scott didn't know where to start. "We had a fight."  
  
"My God, how could you possibly be so . . . so . . . " For the first time in her life, Daisy was at a loss for words. It's a good thing Sophie didn't let her finish her thought.  
  
"Daisy. Enough." Trying to refocus the group was the least of her troubles. "Scott did she say something? Anything? Did she . . . she say where she might have gone?" All it took was one slip and Shelby could be gone forever.  
  
"No. "  
  
Sophie couldn't take no for an answer.It was one of those times where if she didn't move fast, one of the children that she had come to love would be lost, and for the first time in her life, Sophie didn't know what to do. "Think Scott. This is important."  
  
"No!" He didn't know who he was more angry at. Himself, or Daisy. "She didn't say anything. She probably didn't want to be there if I came back." Sophie didn't let him finish his sentence before she was out the door. Every one turned and glared at Scott.  
  
"If anything happens to her out there-" Daisy started harsdhly.  
  
Scott refused to listen to her. "Hey, just dump it, freak."  
  
That was all it took for Daisy to come undone. She seemed to jump over the chair that seperated the two and grabbed Scott's shirt with both hands. For someone so small, Scott was suprised at the power she had behind her. His head hit the door from where she shoved him back. Hard. "WHAT were you thinking?" She yelled in his face.  
  
Immediately Juliet and Auggie tried to help her get her off of him. Auggie seemed to be having more of an affect than Juliet. "Daisy, don't!" She shouted as Auggie tried to seperate them. "Stop it!" But the Daisy they knew, the sedate and philosophical girl, was gone. If she could have found a way to hurt him, she would. There was no more doubt in Juliet's mind that Daisy attacked her father with a seven iron. This was the side that of her that would have done it.  
  
"If anything happens to her out there, it's YOUR fault." She shouted at his now shaken features. "You understand? Your fault . . . " She allowed Auggie to pull her away from the face that she could no longer stand to look at. "And I'll make you pay." Those were words that no one ever doubted. To this day they were words that Daisy had held on to.~  
  
*I hear your voice and I start to tremble  
Brings back the child that I resemble  
I cannot pretend that we can still be friends  
Don't wanna be alone tonight *  
  
Scott thought he had almost lost her that day. something he had sworn to himself that would never happen again. He didn't know how wrong he was. At one point in time he thought it was the single most scary thing that had ever happened to him. The feeling that he had caused something so terrible to happen, he didn't know anything could come close. Then his mind remembered something that had happened recently. It was far worse.   
  
~Scott stood tall in the sunlight. He read the looks on everyones faces before attempting to sit among them. His former friends seemed less than pleased to see him. Juliet was extatic, as usual, but the others wore masks that shielded the emotions from him. He hadn't the slightest idea what any of them had been thinking. "So now I'm gutless?" He feigned shock, taking in the look of anger on Jess' face. "What's with the masks?"  
  
Daisy stood unstedily and hugged him to her. "You mean Peter didn't tell you?" She clutched onto him tighter than she should have. Without Shelby there to add in her sarcastic remarks and quick quips, she didn't know what else to do.   
  
"Didn't tell me what?" Scott let go of her and held her gaze, searching for some sort of sign. His eyes roamed around the gazebo, looking for whatever he could. "Wait, where's Shelby?"  
  
A slight sniffle from the smallest of the group told him all he needed to know. The girl he had been woken up for the night before hadn't been a Ridgerunner, or even a Tracker. It had been the most precious thing in his life. Passing Daisy off to Ezra, Scott practicly dove for Jessica. He held onto her until she had calmed down enough to speak. "Peter found her next to the wood shed last night. Dr. Madison said she was smart. She said that Shelby knew exactly what she was doing. That she only lost as much blood as she-" Jessica broke down again. Scott just held her. Not knowing what else to do.~  
  
*What can I do to make you mine?  
Falling so hard, so fast this time  
What did I say, what did you do?  
How did I fall in love with you?*  
  
She would never know how hard he asked God to take his life instead of hers. He would gladly die if it meant that she would live a full and healthly life. He stood after making sure they were asleep down stairs and walked out of the lodge to and stopped out on the stairs.Shelby had heard of the event from her sister, and deep down she wished she had been there to see it. To see him that fearful that God might take someone he cared about away. There was no word in the English language to describe the feeling it left inside her. Then her mind recalled something that she wished it would have just skipped over. It pulled her into the memory as tears seeped from her deep blue eyes.  
  
~Shelby sat next to Scott on the dock, her feet dipping into the water. She couldn't believe what he had just said. "You can't be serious." She told him angrily. "You can't leave me here." Her eyes were searching his for some kind of sign that told her that he was joking. There was nothing reassuring in his eyes. Now she knew he was leaving. This was going to be her last night with him. "I love you, Scott. I don't want you to leave."   
  
"I know, Shell. I know." He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. He could feel her pull away and she looked into his eyes. Then she kissed him.   
  
This was a kiss unlike any of the other kisses that he and Shelby had ever experienced before. It was deep and passionate, laced with all the emotions he knew Shelby was feeling at that moment. When he finally broke the kiss, he saw something in her eyes that hadn't been there before. She took off her jacket and laid back, pulling him on top of her, giving him another long kiss. Scott could tell what she wanted, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't do it knowing he was leaving the next day.  
  
Pulling away from her, Scott looked deep into Shelby's eyes. "We can't." He told her sternly.   
  
"Yes we can." She said quickly, attempting to kiss him again.  
  
Grabbing her shoulders, Scott held her away from him. "I can't Shell. Not with me leaving tomorrow."   
  
Shelby recoiled at that remark. "You don't want me?" She asked him softly. He shook his head and tried to plead with her, but she put her jacket back on and began to stand up. "Did you ever want me?"  
  
Scott tried to make her understand, he tried to make her see his side, but she wouldn't listen. She turned and started to walk back to her bunk. "Come on Shelby, don't do this. Don't make this any harder than it has to be." She stopped, listening to his words. "It's not that bad. I can come to visit."  
  
She turned around and for the first time, he had seen all the pain that she had tried so hard to conceal. "It is that bad, Scott." She wiped the tears away from her face, and tried desperately to make them stop reappearing. "Lets not make this one of these drawn out good-byes. I can't do that again." And with that, Shelby ran up to her dorm room, flopping down onto her bed to cry herself to sleep. The first of a long series of nights~  
  
*Oh I want to say this right  
That it has to be tonight  
Just need you to know  
I don't wanna live this life  
I don't wanna say goodbye  
With you I wanna spend the rest of my life*  
  
Shelby's mind couldn't help but imagine Scott saying those words to her. Her eyes opened and she pulled herself out from under Alex's arms. She felt safe there, comfertable. It was almost as if he was the one person she was supposed to be with instead of Scott. Almost. She stood and decided to get some air. Walking out of the lodge she stopped and stared at the guy in front of her. He turned and stared directly into her eyes, unable to say anything. It was good for her. Now that she was rational again, she had a few things that she wanted to know.   
  
"Why?"  
  
Her words cut into his heart like a knife. It wasn't how she said it either, it was what was said. She actually wanted to hear the reasoning behind what had happened four weeks ago at the football party. "I had just gotten a letter from Juliet." He bagen, taking a seat on the top step. He noticed that she made no move to join him. "She told me about your accident in the bathroom. Then she told me about everyone blaming me. I decided that it was all my fault. I went out with some friends to reak in my self-pity, and Britney found me. She wanted me. I think it was only for the fact that I was on the team, that and the fact that I was completely toasted." He laughed shortly, he had to start from the first moment that she said something to him. The part that would be the most painful for her to hear.   
  
~"Scotty, you wanna play?" Brittany asked him jokingly, passing the deck of cards to Brian, the group card shark. Brittany and the gang had been playing poker. Working for simple things like candy first, then they had gotten into the harder stuff, like money and drugs. Scott had stayed at the other end of the room for as long as he could. No matter where he was in the room, Brittany always seemed to find him. He couldn't dodge her forever.   
  
"Not this time, Britt." He tried to shrug her off and grab himself another beer. Somehow though, she seemed to wedge herself between him and the table. She was so persistant, with her ruby red lips, blonde hair, and baby blue eyes. That combination reminded him of another blonde that held his attention. "I'm not into that kind of thing anymore." He pushed the image of Shelby into the front of his mind. He had to remember her. He was going back to her soon enough, he didn't want to mess up a second chance. "I just want to kick back and relax."  
  
Brittany wouldn't give up. She would have him by the end of the night, she swore it. He wouldn't have forgotten her in his time at that school. "Then can I take you home?" Her eyelashes fluttered a few times. "Tristan brought you here, but he disapeared with Chelsey earlier. I promise you I haven't had a thing to drink."  
  
"Then you're one step above us all." A waving hand motioned to the rest of the madness. Music blasted from every speaker in the house, and the smoke was so thick in some places that you would need a few months to air out the entire house. It was the kind of party that Scott would have loved to go to before he had been sent away. Before Shelby. "Sure. I could use a ride." ~  
  
"I'm not too sure how it was I ended up at her house." He finished up. "To tell you the truth, I don't even remember getting into the car. The only thing that I reacall soberly was waking up with a blonde laying on my chest and praying to any God that would listen that it was you." Tears were starting to drop to the hard wood below him, and she sat next to him. Unsure of what she should do next. "What I wouldn't have given for that girl to be you, Shells. I love you so much I can't stand it." He pulled her head onto her shoulder and cried into her clean blonde hair. "I never...NEVER wanted to hurt you like that. I swear it. I swear it."  
  
After he had stopped sobbing, Shelby looked up into his eyes. "I don't know whether or not I should believe you." She said simply. "I want to. I really do Scott, but it's hard. Finding out like I did hurt me more than you will ever imagine. It's not going to be easy, finding our way back to being togeather. Eventually we'll get there, but I can honestly say that I don't think you and I will be there anytime soon." His soft lips touched her forehead and she closed her eyes, willing herself to remember her words. "I don't think it would be a good idea to go to the Morp togeather." He brushed the tears out of her eyes and they just sat there in silance.  
  
*What can I do to make you mine?  
Falling so hard, so fast this time  
Everything's changed, we never knew  
How did I fall in love with you?*   
  
"I love you Shelby Merrick." Scott whispered into her ear as she drifted back to sleep in his arms. She felt the same about him that she always had, and probably always would. She didn't know why she was making him think that there was no hope for them. There was. There definately was.  
  
Without thinking, Shelby let three words slip from her lips. Giving everything back to him that her words earlier had taken away.   
  
"I love you." 


	5. Getting Worse Before it Gets Better

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father.~   
  
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~  
  
~I'm sorry it's taking so long to write this....Major case of writer's block. It's over now, and expect at least one every two days. Keep the reviews coming, that's how you get the long ones. *Illusia  
  
"The eyes are the window to ones soul."~Unknown.  
  
The next two days were spent preparing for the Morp. Peter had talked Jeff into shortening the classes to half an hour each, so the Cliffhangers would have more time to work on everything they needed to. The other students didn't like that idea much, seeing as though the only ones to take advantage of that offer was the Cliffhangers. Peter also extended lights out an extra hour. Juliet and Jessica spent every waking hour that they had, after and before class, plotting out nad designing the layout of the lodge. The guys chopped wood, and worked and chores and Peter's "guy hikes," while Daisy and Sophie were in charge of figuring out how to procure the tuxes for the guys and gowns for the girls. A few of the local tux shops in the area offered to cover the expense of the guys rented tuxes, and Daisy had called local businesses for donations for the ladies gowns. Before she even had time to ask him, Alex had already handed Sophie a check for two thousand dollars, THEN he offered to pay for all of the Cliffhanger girls' expenses for whatever they would need for the Morp. Juliet's mother, on the other hand, told Daisy that they only had enogh money for Juliet's gown alone. Two days later, the bank called to conferm a check for nine hundred dollars from Hal Rowe, along with an apology for his wife's actions earlier in the week. Since she wasn't allowed to have a job due to her recent "illness," Peter had allowed Shelby to spend her two days of freedom with Alex in town. They did nothing but look around in shops and talk. She told him about her life here, her arguments with Scott, and how it felt to go home and see her family. And Walt. It felt good to just get it out in the open.   
  
The Morp was scheduled for Saturday night, so Friday morning was, in a single word, hectic. Peter had left the responsibilities of Horizon with Jeff so he could take the Cliffhanger guys shopping for their tuxedos, and Alex and Connie had rented a van so that they could drive the girls around to search for what Juliet called "the perfect dress." As the girls climbed into the gray van, Juliet and Jess in the very back seat, Shelby and Daisy in the middle, and Alex and Connie up front, Alex kindly reminded the girls that money was no object as far as they were concerned. Jess smiled and nodded her approval to her sister, who just tried to ignore her. Then they were off. "Peter suggested that we go to Seattle to look for gowns in the bigger shops." Connie was running the schedule that she had prepared by Alex, who wasn't paying her the least bit of attention. Alex's mood had changed drastically over the past three days, and Connie didn't like the effect that Shelby had on him. Alex soon noticed how quiet Shelby had gotten since the van pulled onto the highway. He adjusted the rearveiw mirror so he could see her face better. "Hey Slate?" She jerked her eyes open as if she had just been shot. "You tired?"  
  
Shelby nodded wearily. "I feel like I just finished covering Crawford Street." She laughed strangly as the other girls turned to her, their eyes searching for something to tell them what they were supposed to do. It wasn't often anyone got Shelby to talk about her past that easily. Not even Scott could get her to do that. Off of Alex's look she smiled. He had forgotten her and Patty's arangement from years back. "Whenever Patty or I weren't feeling well, we'd split up each other's street amoung those in our building until she felt better. So I'd take it twice in one day." She looked at Alex's deep green eyes. "We didn't want to ask you for more cash, you were paying our rent as it was." She told him sternly, not wanting to hear him lecture her about it. "Patty would just cover my streets when she felt better, to give us a break. But you know that one night, I covered Crawford Street for her. Damn. I just didn't want to wake up the next morning." She laughed akwardly and smiled at Daisy. "And to think this is where it got me." The irony shone through her voice like a beakon.  
  
Something hit her knees, and she looked down at a small box. "I thought you might want to wear this to the dance seeing as though it's yours now." She snatched it out of Connie's hand pale hands and opened it carefully, as if it was going to explode or something to that affect. Juliet almost jumped out of her seat when the light hit the object that was inside. Laying on top of a black velvet bag was a siver chain with a silver pendant attached to it. The pendant was a simply designed butterfly. It was nothing elaborite, with the exception of the wings, they were decorated with strategically placed tiny diamonds. And the antennas had small cut diamonds as well. Only two people in the van actually knew about the segnificance of the necklace; it was the only thing of value that Patty owned in her intire life. She had told Shelby that if anything ever happened to her, it was hers. "You're either speachless, or you're sitting back there plotting my death." Alex tried to lighten the mood from his place in the front seat.  
  
"Where...whe-"  
  
"Where did you get it?!" Juliet squeeled excitedly, snatching the necklace box out of Shelby's slackened grip. She eyed the boy cautiously before Shelby's hand retrieved the box from her hands rather forcably. Juliet couldn't believe Shelby's luck from the past few days. With the exception of what happened with Scott.   
  
A single words crossed Shelby's lips and Daisy sat bolt upright and held onto Shelby's fragile hands. The tears the were demanding to come flooding out were damed up by the wall that was always behind Shelby's cool exterior. For a few long moments, Shelby just sat there, saying nothing. When she finally regained her powers of speach, Shelby hurriedly flipped the back of the pendant to make sure it truely was Patty's. There, on the back of the left wing, cut into the it so smally you had to squint to see it, were the letters W Y I Y D. "Thank you for locating it Alex, where did you find it?"  
  
"She was wearing it when..." The strong voice faltered, and he wiped his face with the back of one of his designer sleeves. The corner found it on her ankle during the autopsy. Dad said the police wanted to hold onto it until they found her family, but he thought I knew of someone who needed it. A sister or something. I thought of you." He reached back and rubbed her lower leg with his large hand. Wanting to comfort himself more than her. The car pulled off the highway onto an exit ramp and stopped in front of a gas station. "I'm gonna get myself a Coke and the car needs gas, anyone want anything?" His door opened and he looked diretly at Shelby.  
  
There were a few shouts for some candy, and Daisy wanted apple juice, but Alex's gaze was locked on Shelby's ironic smile. "If I asked for a pack of cigarettes, would you humor me?" She noticed how he thumbed through his wallet and checked for his I.D. and smiled at her. Then he was gone.  
  
  
"Yo Meat?" Auggie brushed Scott's arm to reach across one of the side tables at Rusty's. He took the salt away from Ezra and attempted to pull his arm back to his side of the table without upsetting Davids ice tea. Peter had decided to buy them lunch at Rusty's so they could spend all day away from the campus like the girls were. Half of the boys had already gotten their tuxeos, and Peter was going to drive them to Seattle so Scott and Ezra could buy theirs. Their parents actually sent money for them. Or in Ezra's case, his parents could actually afford to allow him to buy his. Neither boy saw anything they liked in town. "What do you think the girls are gonna wear to the Morp?" He shoved a french fry into his mouth and concentrated on the food that had been set in front of him.   
  
"Clothes?" David suggested helpfully, his gaze shifting from the guys at the table to the pictures that Peter had developed from Morp last year. "I just can't wait to see what Shelby decides to wear this year. With Alex's money and her style. She should look better than she did last year. And last year she was HOT!" Peter sat down at the table, and David shoved a handful of potato chips into his mouth. He would have bet money that if Peter hadn't shown up when he did, that Scott would have come over the table to hurt him. "Well...she was."  
  
Peter took David's glass of tea away from him, and refilled it with the contents of the pitcher that he had in his hands. He had missed the beginning of the conversation and decided that he was going to see if the guys would trust him enough to tell him what they were talking about. "Which one of the Cliffhanger girls was what?" Auggie made a quick pass at the ketchup and Peter passed it to him without thinking. It suprised him that the guys were this quiet. On some level it was really unnerving. "Let me rephrase." He said simply, watching Scott's glare follow David's movements carefully. "Shelby was what during last year's Morp?" He stopped almost mid thought and looked at Ezra slyly. "BESIDES kissing Ezra in the kitchen when she was supposed to be minding the snack table." Scott stiffled a laugh and turned to look at Ezra. Apparently he had heard about the kiss, and how much Shelby had helped Ezra that night.  
  
After gulping down the rest of his chocolate cherry shake, Scott looked at Peter's face, and noticed the sheer determination in his eyes. "Shelb was looking good last year." He said sheepishly as he tried to hide behind his double cheeseburger.   
  
Auggie put his food down and looked at Scot. "Damn man, she was looking better than good." The group of guys laughed and Scott started to relax. "There's no telling what she's going to decide to wear now that she has the funds to pull it off." Auggie gave his best shot at being supportive when it came to Shelby and Alex. In the past few days, he saw sides of Shelby that he had never seen before, and he couldn't help but to smile when he thought of the effect that Alex was having on her.   
  
Scott tensed up again, and Auggie was the first to notice. Peter's cell phone rang before he could say something about it. "Hello?" He asked quietly, eyeing the boys so they would know to behave for a few minutes. "Yeah, Jeff, I've got Scott here, why?" There was another pause and Peter smiled. "Yeah hold on, I'll get him." He looked at Scott and frowned. "There's a Britany Woods at Horizon, and she'd like to speak with you."   
  
The phone passed across the table, and Auggie stood quickly, walking to the front door and stepping outside. David followed Auggie, hoping the older Cliffhanger wouldn't kill him once he got out there. Ezra didn't know where to go, so he just stayed at the table while Peter went to use the pay phone to call Sophie. Scott stared at the phone until he decided that he should talk. "Hello?" He paused, it was deathly silant at the table, now that there were only two people there. "Hey Brit."   
  
Her voice was soothing. She knew exactly what to do to keep Scott Barringer to herself. Britany Woods spent years perfecting her image so Scott would notice her. After the night they spent together, she wasn't about to let him go. "I heard from you're father that you're school was having a prom, and I was kinda hoping you didn't have a date." She forced her voice to sound innocent now that a female counselor was standing in front of her. Cell phone plastered to her ear. She kept referring to Brittany as "she" and "her."  
  
"You came out here, to the middle of no-where to ask me to my Prom?" Scott asked unbelieveing her. "Brit is there something else you wanted to talk about?"   
  
She paused a second and looked at the woman. "I just wanted to see you again Scott." She smiled happily and patted the skirt to her short summer dress back down her legs. "Would you mind if I stayed until the Prom?"  
  
Scott didn't know how to react. Or worse, how Shelby would react to Britany being there. But deep in his heart, Scott knew that he couldn't deny her anything after the times that he had hung out with her while he was back home. "Sure Brit, why don't you tour the campus while we're in Seattle. We should be back before dark." He said his good-bye's and hung up the cell phone. Then he stopped. What had he just done? Shelby would never understand. It would kill her.  
  
  
Sophie stood next to the girl that Peter had refferred to as Scott's "partner in crime" when it came to Shelby's outburst a few nights ago. She didn't know what to do with the girl. Britany definately wasn't using the Horizon dress code, with her sleveless square-neck summer dress that came down to about her mid-thigh. It was as red as wine and she knew that Britany wasn't just there for the Morp. "Miss Woods?" Sophie asked hushed, choosing her words carefully. "I'll show you around until the Cliffhangers get back." Keeping her voice calm, Sophie showed Britany where everything was, wasting an entire afternoon with a girl that she wished she could throw off the condemed bridge that Ezra had shown to everyone last year before Scott had first shown up at Horizon.  
  
  
Auggie lit up a cigarette and took a long puff. Then he beame aware of the guy standing behind him. "It's a good thing Alex offered to take the girls for the afternoon." David commented offhandedly. "There's no telling what Shelby would have done if she heard that Britany called Scott." He waited, trying to get a reaction out of Auggie that didn't have to do with a fist. "On the other hand-"  
  
"Do you have anything usefull to say?" Auggie barked at David. Hoping that he had shut him up permaniately. David produced a cell phone from his pocket and handed it to Auggie. "What's this for?"  
  
"It's one of Alex's. He told me that if there were any problems with Scott to let him know." He smiled at Auggie. "Scott's tempary insanity would probably be considered a problem." He turned to go back inside and said one final thing to Auggie. "But it's entirely up to you."  
  
  
The van had just pulled up to one of the more expensive gown shops in Seattle when the cell phone attached to Shelby's waist started to ring. She put her cigarette out and picked the phone up. Hitting the 'talk' button she grabbed her purse out of the front seat and put the phone to her ear. "Speak." She said snobbily. Daisy and Juliet were giggling in the back ground.  
  
Auggie had to laugh at how relaxed Shelby had sounded. "Hey homegirl." He said sweetly, taking another drag of the cigarette that Shelby had given him. "Alex around?"  
  
"I think he's here?" Shelby took the phone away from her ear and looked around the parked car. "Al?" She laughed into the phone. "Telle-phone." Alex took the phone out of her hand and his thumb rubbed up against her bottom lip. Her eyes widened until she realized that her sister was watching them. "Auggie." She said simply, following Connie into the shop.  
  
Alex watched Shelby go before putting the phone to his ear. She looked better than she had in days. She was wearing an outfit that Connie had bought her yesterday when they had gone shopping for some new clothes. The black jeans hugged her hips, and he never could figure out why almost every pair of jeans she bought had a flower on them somewhere. These had had embossed roses all over them. Over top of that, she wore a burgandy spagetti strapped camisole and a beaded flower choaker. She had borrowed a pair of Juliet's chunky platform shoes with a metal zipper on the side instead of laces and he had given her his leather jacket to wear over top of it entire outfit. Auggie heard him breathing before he said anything. "Hey Auggie." He said breathlessly. "What's up?"  
  
Auggie didn't know how to respond to that. "We might have a problem when you get back with the girls." He spit out eagerly. The sooner he got that over with, the happier he would be. "We're at Rusty's eating lunch, and Scott just got a phone call from Britany Woods, you know, the girl that he slept with when he was home. I think he's going to invite her to the Morp." Keeping his voice level was the most important thing. Alex was just trying to make sure Shelby was safe. He owed the guy for that. Shelby was more likely to listen to Alex than Auggie. "He seemed pretty excited to get the call."  
  
"Where are you guys going after lunch?"  
  
"We're following you." Auggie put the cigarette out and headed back into the building. He was suprised that Peter had come out and busted him for smoking. "Scott and EZ haven't gotten their tuxes yet, and Peter suggested Seattle. Why?"  
  
Alex followed the girls into the building, and never took his eyes off of Shelby. "We're eating dinner at my father's hotel, the Madison. Really huge place in the middle of town. You can't miss it. Dinner's at five, see if you can get Peter to meet us there?" He waited while Auggie asked and smiled when Peter said 'yes.' Shelby was helping her sister pick out a dress, and Jess kept commenting about the price. "We'll talk more about this then." He watched as Daisy slipped into onte of the dressing rooms with a few dresses and Shelby practically shoved her sister into one. Alex had noted how alike the two Merrick girls were. He just hoped that after what Scott had done today, he could keep the Shelby that he's been with for days, rather than the cold hearted replacement that she had become during her tenior at Horizon. The Ice Queen that David was telling him about the night before. "But I wouldn't worry about Shelby if I were you. She seems to be doing just fine."   
  
"Really." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Auggie was telling Alex that Shelby was always better when he was around.   
  
"Yeah. Call me later on tonight and we'll talk about the suprise that I'm planning." Alex smiled at Shelby and nodded in the direction of the red dress that she was holding. "I'm gonna need help with this one." He wasn't sure if he should let any of the girls in on the secret. He probably wouldn't, but it might help him if he had a girl on his side. "And tell Peter that I'm going to need his help with something. I think he might be able to get me eveything I need tomarrow night. And ask him if he can call and get the busses or should I do it. He'll know what I'm talking about."  
  
"Message sent." Auggie smiled as he slid into his seat and glared at Scott. Peter had gone up to pay Grace, and Ezra and David were cleaning up the area. He hung up the phone and handed it to Ezra. "You hurt her and I'll kill you, Meat. Auggie told Scott solomnly, never taking his eyes off of the other boy. "She's tougher than nails, but you have a way of breaking her."  
  
"I'm not going to hurt her Auggie." Scott turned his attention back to Peter's phone and just glared at it.   
  
"You already have, Scott." Auggie stood and gave Scott one last glare. "You do it again, and there is no way in hell Peter would be able to stop me from flatening your ass."   
  
Peter walked up behind him with a smile on his face. "Okay, Guys...lets go to Seattle!"  
  
*What is Alex planning??? It's something you're never going to guess. 


	6. Forgive and Forget....Hurt is in there t...

"And then, Shelby turns to me and huffs: 'I am fully capable of paying my own damn bail

DISCLAIMER: I own no one. I claim to own no one (with the exception of Alex, Connie, Britany, and anyone else I want to throw in there to confuse the heck out of you guys), and if I did, Hayden wouldn't see the light of day again. LOL…. I don't own any of the songs either. The complete list will be at the bottom of the story if you want it.

(~) Means flashbacks

(*) Means dreams

Any other questions e-mail me at [Darlasfriend@aol.com][1]

~The eyes are the window to ones soul. ~Unknown

"And then, Shelby turns to me and huffs: 'I am fully capable of paying my own damn bail.' Then she pulls the **entire** fifteen hundred out of the pouch she keeps in her boots and pays the officer." The group laughed and all turned to face a now blushing Shelby. She looked around the table at her friends and smirked sarcastically. They had been at the restaurant for about half an hour when the conversation had shifted to past and present Shelby. "But the real kicker was after she signed her papers, she turned to me and said-"

"Now **you** can buy me breakfast." Shelby finished for him, looking down at the steak that she had barely touched. Alex and Daisy both watched her food cautiously. They knew she wasn't going to finish it, but neither said anything about it. "That was one of the only nights that I skipped work." She told everyone so matter-of-factly. "Of course, Alex spent the next week and a half paying my bills and buying me clothes."

"I'm still trying to explain the two hundred dollar Victoria's Secret bill to my father." Alex joked, taking a long sip of his wine. Peter was the only one blushing this time. He didn't like the thought of Alex knowing Shelby well enough to talk about her like that. Alex took his mind off Shelby in her underwear and turned to the rest of the group. "So, anyone else have any good stories?"

Auggie scooted closer to the table and raised his hand. "I've got an entertaining one." He winked at both Shelby and Sophie before placing his hand inside Juliet's opened one.

~Sophie moved rapidly around the turns in the path that lead away from the ropes course. She had asked Peter if she could go after Shelby, and now she was slightly regretting it. The blonde was just too fast for her to catch up without running. "You have an old soul." She commented just loud enough for the blonde girl in front of her to hear. She had known many girls like Shelby, even if she didn't know anything about her. 

"Wow." Shelby spat back at her mockingly; the new girl Peter had brought to 'observe' them was going to get really annoying really fast. "Gee, Groovy."

"Hard shell too." Sophie commented. Getting Shelby to talk to her wasn't going to be easy. This girl wasn't going to give an inch, and she knew it. "Always a good quality in a woman."

Shelby didn't want to listen to it. "Do you work here?" She snapped as she turned to face the woman that was trailing her. "Or are you just giving this out for free?"

"I'm a visitor," Sophie started only to be cut of.

Her feet pounded on the trail as she turned away from Sophie. "From what Planet?" She barked as she walked away. ~

Taking a quick sip of his wine, Alex chuckled. "Bitch alert!" He shouted mockingly, not caring who heard what he said. "Damn Slate, what happened to the girl I knew on the streets?" He paused for a few moments and handed the wine to Peter and Sophie. "No, wait…Lemme guess…She-"

"Went home." They said in unison. It was Shelby's favorite quote every time he had asked her that question over the past few days.

"Now that's the thing that I don't get." David said as he took a sip of his iced tea. "Listening to Alex talk about Shelby, it sounds as though he's describing a completely other person." He watched Scott's reaction to his statement, and decided to continue. "I mean what happened to Shelby to make her go completely postal on the rock until you show up?" He pointed his glass at Alex for emphasis.

"Life." Shelby said ironically, thinking about the last time she had said that phrase. "It's amazing how it just keeps on giving."

At the point the lights dimmed and the DJ started playing music. David jokingly put his left hand on Shelby's thigh and gave it a good pat. "Remove it, or I will." Scott's voice crept into David's ear angrily. Promptly David's hand removed itself from her leg and Shelby threw Scott a questioning glance. Almost immediately, Scott looked away.

Alex took the opportunity to take Shelby's hand and pull it to his lips. "Dance with me." He said simply.

"Is that a request or a demand?" Her voice questioned as he stood and pulled her to her feet. "Fine. Have it your way." He led her out onto the dance floor and wrapped his hands around her extremely small waist. His chin rested itself on the top of her head, and he took a deep breath to smell her strawberry shampoo. That was one of the things he missed about her. She always smelled like strawberries. "What?" She asked him cautiously as he looked into her eyes. "What are you staring at?" Alex just shrugged as the music started.

_I laid the blanket there on the shoreline_

_And saw the water shine with the moon._

_What kind of fool would fail to notice_

_The best thing shining was you._

_ _

Alex stood there for minutes at a time, just watching Shelby move to the music. He just couldn't believe that he was standing there, in the middle of the grand ballroom in the Madison Hotel, with the love of his life in his arms. If only she felt the same way. Shelby shifted in his arms, and he saw her blue eyes staring directly into his. The world stood still for that moment, and everything just felt right. "What?" She asked him softly, letting her words drift up to his ears. "Alex, what's wrong?" 

Alex kissed the top of her head and leaned to where his mouth was right next to her ear. "I'm just wondering how long it's been since I was able to enjoy myself this much." Alex lied, not wanting to tell her the truth about his thoughts. He knew Shelby well enough to know that she wouldn't be pleased if her were blunt with her. "I missed you too much."

"Well stay as long as you want." Shelby giggled lightly as he tickled the sides of her stomach. She squirmed to get away from him, but his strength held her where she stood. "I've enjoyed you being here. It's been too damn long since I've even thought about you and Patty." She pulled him closer to her and fluttered butterfly kisses on his cheek. "I want you to stay here forever."

"Your wish is my command." Alex joked as he looked over at the table where Scott sat, glaring at him from squinted eyes.

_Oh I laughed kind of nervous_

_I felt you move closer_

_And felt the world unwind_

_ _

Auggie leaned over to Scott and smiled an evil grin. "You were the one that didn't tell her the truth." He said cautiously, before he grabbed Juliet's hand and led her out to the dance floor. Auggie tapped Alex on the back and smiled as both Alex and Shelby turned his way. "Somebody's jealous." He laughed in a singsong voice. His left hand let go of Juliet's and pointed to Scott. Then he looked back at Shelby. "Can't say I blame him, though." The smirk on his face was apparent as he pulled Juliet away from them and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you." He whispered to her softly.

Shelby's mind was swimming. She couldn't believe that Scott could get so jealous about one dance. Then again, she really couldn't explain her outburst the other night, when she began throwing things around when she had heard about Britany. No, wait; now that she thought about it, she knew **exactly** why she did it. She was hurt that he couldn't just tell her about it. But true, he had his reasons. Her mind kept slipping back to the man who held her in his arms. The way he always smelled like he just got out of the shower. The one who knew her inside as well as out so well, that he knew what she was feeling without even talking to her. Did she love Alex? She didn't know if she could answer that question without hurting anyone. _You mean without hurting Scott_. Her mind answered for her. _He has another girlfriend._ Her mind reminded her in a voice that sounded too much like Daisy's. _He **slept** with Britany remember? He doesn't even look at you anymore._ Shelby shrugged and laid her head back onto the shoulder that already knew hat kind of war was going on inside her head.

_Once was a stranger, not quite a lover._

_But steadily crossing that line._

_ _

__Scott knew that this shouldn't bother him. He **wouldn't** let this bother him. Shelby was just going along with Alex because he knew how to make her happy. _Happier then you've ever made her_. His mind answered for him in a voice that sounded too close to Ezra's. It was amazing how he thought these people that he lived with were his conscience. Ezra especially, he always knew what to say to get Scott on the right track. _Talk to the girl._ The voice told him angrily. _Explain yourself to her and you know she'll forgive you._ Somehow he knew his mental voice was telling the truth, but way back in his mind he could still hear Auggie's warning. "Tell her the truth." He said to himself, noticing the odd looks he was getting from both Daisy and Ezra. 

"Do you think they know what we think about this?" Ezra whispered to Daisy when she reached across him to get to the salt. She had been getting closer to Ezra ever since Alex showed up, and she didn't have to worry about Shelby that much. Daisy liked the feeling she to whenever she was next to Ezra. He didn't make her feel like he expected something from her. He just wanted her. "I mean-"

Ezra smiled at how nervous she was getting with the situation between Shelby and Scott. "I think they know our minds, yes." He slowly moved his left hand and patted her on the thigh. "You said yourself that Shelby doesn't come to you for advice because she already knows what you were going to say. There is no doubt in my mind that whenever they have a problem, it's our voices that jerk them back to reality." He watched her smiled then pulled her out of her seat. "You're dancing." He said as she giggles and fell into his arms. There was nothing else that could have ever made him feel the way he did at that moment.

_Carry me far away_

_Don't hold back, I won't break_

_Leave the past behind_

_All I know, wrong or right_

_Just the thought of this night_

_Will get me every time._

_Every time _

_ _

Peter and Sophie watched as their children danced around the dance floor. With the exception of Scott, who sat by himself at the far end of their table. David had asked Jessica to dance shortly after Daisy had left the table with Ezra. Peter thought this was the perfect moment to fill his wife in on Alex's surprise for the Cliffhangers. "How do you think this room would look with the Morp decorations that Jessie and Juliet have created?" He asked a little too self-confidently, his eyes never leaving the group of kids on the dance floor.

Sophie turned her head slightly, looking directly at Peter's face. "We don't have the money for that kind of thing Peter." She watched where his eyes were looking and realized immediately what he was referring to. "You're kidding me!" She squealed, watching as he shook his head. "Alex is going to do that…for the Cliffhangers?"

"Not for the Cliffhangers," Peter corrected her. "For Shelby." He watched Shelby grab Alex by the collar of his shirt and smiled. "He's got a major yen for her. He'd do anything for her." Alex shifted Shelby in his arms and play hit Auggie in the shoulder. Then Peter's head turned and he was looking at Scott. "The bad thing is so would Scott. That's probably the worst part of this whole thing. We have two children that love each other more than life itself, and they're not going to be together on their Prom night." Sophie nodded and turned her attention to the girl who was walking up behind Scott. 

_ _

_Well the voice in my head said_

_"What are you doing?"_

_I thought not listening to you_

_You see I'm taking a chance_

_I'm thinking about flying_

_Over the moon_

Britany took deep breaths as she neared Scott. She could feel his presence the second she walked into the ballroom. Carefully she smoothed the dress that she had changed into before she had called the cab to come take her to the hotel. She wanted to make herself look decent for when she was introduced to the legendary Shelby. She had no doubt in her mind Shelby would look perfect. So she had to match the look that Shelby would have. Then again, Britany had been warned about the fight that had happened after she had called the first time. She herself had seen pictures of the damage that Shelby had caused to the lodge. Slowly patting down the skirt to her dark blue party dress, Britany walked up and tapped Scott on the shoulder. 

Scott whirled around as if he had been shot. What he saw surprised him more than he thought was possible. Britany looked way too much like Shelby for his liking. Now he knew why he had been so quick to sleep with her when he was drunk. "Britany." He whispered barely audible. "What are you doing here?"

"Mrs. Scarburrow told me that you guys were eating dinner in Seattle, and I haven't eaten all day, so I thought I'd take a cab here and join you…" She noticed the look on his face and smiled. "You don't look happy to see me." She frowned. "Did I do something wrong?"

Scott hugged her and smiled at her innocence. "No. It's just been one of those days." He told her, carefully choosing his words. "Come on." He took her hand and pulled her out to the dance floor. "I haven't danced all night."

_And it's crazy to be this out of practice_

_And have it all come so naturally_

_Don't you love knocking logic, right off it's axis_

_And watch it float far out to sea?_

_ _

Shelby wasn't oblivious to the girl that Scott pulled out onto the dance floor. She noticed right away how pretty the girl was, and the striking resemblance that she and Shelby had. Scott looked her way right before Alex shifted her in his arms to where she was looking at a frustrated Auggie. Unlike her, Auggie didn't feel the need to mask his anger, and it was later said that if it weren't for the fact that Juliet was holding onto him, he would have killed Scott.

_Carry me far away_

_Don't hold back, I won't break_

_Leave the past behind_

_All I know, wrong or right_

_Just the thought of this night_

_Will get me every time._

_Every time_

"Calm down Slate." She heard Alex whisper in her ear. She could feel his hands move from her hips to her shoulders as she closed her eyes and leaned backwards, testing his strength. Alex pulled her back up to him and smiled. "Somebody remembers." He joked as he moved his hands back to her waist and lifted her up from the floor. Shelby giggled when he put her back on her feet and Alex rubbed her lower back with the palm of his hand. "Beautiful," he commented absent-mindedly.

Scott turned to watch Alex lift Shelby over his head. She seemed so happy being there with Alex. All of the stories he told were of a defiant, yet happy, Shelby that had long since been gone. He looked at the girl he held in his arms and knew that Shelby was the only one for him. Britany was a distraction. Shelby, now she was his life.

_So, now here I am reading my fortune_

_In he winding lines of your hand_

_Oh and I see a lost unwanted orphan_

_Headed right for the Promised Land_

_Carry me far away_

_I won't…I won't break_

Auggie turned to watch Shelby stifle a laugh as Alex made a joke about Connie. She pulled herself up against Alex and tried to bury her face in his shirt. Suddenly the hands on his shoulders stiffened, and Juliet's lips brushed against his own. "You are too wonderful for words?" She laughed at his confusion. "Don't tell me that you and Alex aren't trying to make this Morp more memorable for Shelby because of her accident." He feigned ignorance before Juliet kissed him again and he stopped. 

"You keep doing that and I'm going to wind up telling you his entire plan." Auggie joked, wrapping his arms around Juliet's slender waist and pulling her roughly against his body. They had never been like that toward each other, and it surprised both of them. Auggie had always been gentle with Juliet. It wasn't that he thought she was 'going to break' or anything like that. She just was a little more delicate to him than Shelby was. He knew this stage was coming with them, he just didn't know that Juliet would want them to be that forceful, especially around the other Cliffhangers. 

Juliet smiled up at Auggie, praying that he couldn't feel her insecurities through her fake smile. The truth was she was terrified of him leaving her. She was scared that he would think Britany was prettier than she was and decide to fight Scott for her. This feeling had manifested itself over dinner when Ezra and Auggie were talking about how beautiful this girl had to be to get Scott over Shelby. The thought that he could just dump her like that was just too much for her to handle. What Juliet didn't know, however was the fact that Auggie had already talked Alex into getting two-dozen white roses for Juliet. He knew about her insecurities and he was more than happy to make her forget all about the rest of the world.

_Carry me far away_

_Don't hold back, I won't break_

_Leave the past behind_

_All I know, wrong or right_

_Just the thought of this night_

_Will get me every time._

_Every time_

The music stopped and Alex pulled Shelby to him once more. "You enjoying yourself?" He asked her cautiously. Taking a moment to poke her on the nose to get her to smile. Shelby nodded just as one of the waiters walked up to them. 

"Mister Wallace?" He asked Alex lightly. "Do you wish to order anything else before the bill is drawn up?"

Alex thought for a moment. "Yeah, sure." He coughed to himself. "We're going to have two death by chocolates, one rather large birthday cake, and ice cream for everyone at the table." The man wrote it all down and turned. "Oh, and I'd like two bottles of your finest wine, and some sparkling cider." A little startled by this, the man bowed and practically ran for the kitchen. "I seemed to have missed your birthday, and I insist that we fix that problem." Shelby giggled again and turned to Scott and Britany. Her smiled faded as her eyes locked with Scott. "You want to talk about it?" Alex asked her softly.

"No." Shelby coughed as she turned and ran for the bathroom. 

Daisy stopped dancing long enough to see Shelby race off towards the girl's bathroom. She let go of Ezra and tapped Auggie on the shoulder. When Juliet turned to look at her she pointed at Alex. "Shelby." She said simply, hoping it was enough to excuse both of them from their dates. 

It only took a minute for Juliet to figure out what she was talking about. She kissed Auggie quickly before muttering a soft 'sorry' and heading in the direction that Daisy went. When she found both Shelby and Daisy, Daisy had successfully talked Shelby out of the restroom and just outside the door to the grand ballroom, Shelby lighting up a new cigarette and Daisy taking it away from her. Shelby's hands were shaking as she attempted to light another one. "Daiz," Juliet said softly. "You go back in to Ezra. I think I can handle this one." Daisy nodded and dropped the two cigarettes that she had taken away from Shelby onto the floor. Juliet took the lighter away from her and stood again. "Come on. I'll let you have as many as you want outside." After a barely audible grunt from Shelby, both girls were standing and heading for the main doors. 

After the doors shut, Juliet lit one of Shelby's cigarettes and handed it to her. "Now, you want to tell me what that was about in there?" Shelby shook her head and took a long drag. The cigarette traded hands easily, seeing as though Shelby wasn't in the best frame of mind to fight Juliet on it. "Allow me to rephrase," she said harshly. "What happened in there?"

"I'd like to say it was temporary insanity," Shelby started, taking her cigarette back from Juliet. Her head shook slightly. "I'm getting too close to Alex." She explained simply, wiping the tears from her eyes. "If I get to comfortable having him around, when he leaves, I'll be crushed."

"**And**…"

"How'd you know?"

Juliet laughed shortly. "I have eyes..." She offered helpfully. "Face it Shell, you can hate it all you'd like, but you know you're in love with the boy." Shelby laughed harshly and sank down onto the cold stone walkway. "I know you're hurting Shells, but you have to realize that Scott's hurting just as much. He loves you Shell, he's just confused."

"Confused, my ass." The voice sounded more and more like a frightened girl every time she spoke. "I think he just loves the fact that he's finally free from the skank from Reject High." She took another puff and stubbed it out with the toe of her boot. "Let's face facts, Jules. I'm nothing to him. He just wanted me as long as he knew there wasn't any possible way he could find someone normal. Someone real." Tears were falling faster than Juliet had ever seen. Shelby's resolve to hold her tears crumbled to nothing as she buried her head in her hands and just sat there for minutes weeping. 

For the first time when it cam to dealing with Shelby, Juliet had no clue what to do. She had never seen Shelby act like this. "Come on Shelby," she wasn't sure why she was still talking. It just felt better than sitting there, watching her cry. "You know that's not true." Juliet pulled Shelby half into her lap and stroked her head slowly, waiting for the tears to subside. She didn't have to wait long. Shelby sat up by her self and wiped her eyes, trying to get the rest of the wet mascara off of her face. "Feel any better?" 

Shelby slid her cigarettes back onto her pocket and smiled at the brown haired girl that she spent so much of her time at Horizon being mean to. "Actually," she began softly, pulling Jules into a hug. "Yeah, I do." The two girls walked back into the ballroom, together.

Scott felt horrible. There was no other word to describe the feeling of anguish that was echoing inside his chest. After Shelby and Juliet got back, Auggie kept throwing menacing glances at him and Britany from across the table. Finally he just could take it anymore. He stood slowly and walked over to Shelby's side of the table. Shelby stopped mid-sentence as she turned and noticed the look of hunger in his eyes. "Dance with me?" He asked as sweetly as he could manage.

"I don't think-" Alex tried to object before Shelby stood. 

"Sure." Shelby's voice wavered slightly, and she looked at Juliet for the strength to walk out onto the dance floor with the guy she once claimed to love. The music started quietly, as if the DJ picked the song just for them.

_They say in this world _

_Nothing lasts forever _

_But I don't believe that's true_

_ _

"I'm sorry." Scott said finally. They had been out on the floor for several seconds now. Both of them were aware of the looks that they were receiving from the group at the table. It had been the first words that he had spoken to her all night. He didn't even know why he was talking to her now. The feel of her in his arms gave him the strength to do the impossible. Her hair fell against his shoulder as she stopped moving to look at him. 

"You're sorry?" Shelby asked him after a second. She wasn't quite sure that she had heard him right. "What for?"

"Don't pretend you don't know." He snapped back at her. Feeling her recall from him slightly, Scott immediately felt bad for doing that. "I'm sorry for the past year." He looked around the room, trying desperately not to meet her eyes. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he glanced briefly. Her gaze held him there.

_'Cause the way that I feel _

_When we're together _

_I know that's the way _

_I'll always feel for you_

_ _

__"What about the past year?" She asked calmly, not showing him any of the emotions that were running rampant throughout her mind. He tore his eyes away from hers angrily. "Scott?" She asked as she allowed her hand to cup his cheek. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry that I hurt you like this." He finally managed to get out. The touch of her hand on his face sent shivers down his spine. "I caused you all this pain, and you didn't deserve any of it. I-"

"I understand." Shelby said, more to her self than to him. "I know what you want to do, and I don't blame you at all." It was coming out now, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop it. The only thing Shelby felt now was the need to just let go. She had to make a clean break and never look back. "I know you, Scott. Or at least I once thought I did." She leaned against him one last time and felt his breath on her cheek. "You don't have to try to tell me that you were thinking of me when you slept with Britany. I know you too well for that." She wiped her eyes and shifted her weight.

_From now until forever _

_That's how long I'll be true _

_I'll make you this vow _

_And promise you now _

_Until forever _

_I'll never stop loving you_

Scott had no clue what was going on inside her head, nor was he about to pretend he did. "No Shell, you don't understand. I want you. I love you-"

"You're kidding yourself." She snapped in frustration. "You said so yourself months ago that you don't go for used trash. You told me that you didn't need anything I had to offer-"

"That's **before** I knew you." Scott tried to explain. "That's before I found myself closing my eyes **just** to see your face." He took her head in his large palms and kissed her forehead. "I need you more than I ever needed anyone. I need you more than my mother, more than my father. You're my life, my world, my everything, Shell." His voice rose slightly, trying to make her hear him. "Please believe me?" He begged slightly. "Please?"

_There'll come a day _

_When the world stops turning _

_And stars will fall from the sky _

_But this feeling will last _

_When the sun stops burning _

_All I want to do is love you _

_Till the end of time_

"I'm sorry Scott," she hung her head long enough to get the image of his face out of her mind. "You can't make me believe you when you're five minutes away from walking back to that table and pulling Britany close. I-"

"I don't want Britany!" He snarled angrily. "I love you."

Shelby forced her body to move away from him. "Keep telling yourself that." She took a deep breath and sighed heavily. She had begun to walk back to the table, before wiping her eyes and turning slightly. "Oh and Scott?" He lifted his head and their eyes met. "Take care of the cowboy." She sniffled before wiping her eyes one more time. "He's the best kisser I've ever seen." Scott laughed a little at that remark, and he too returned to the table. 

_From now until forever _

_That's how long I'll be true _

_I'll make you this vow _

_And promise you now _

_Until forever _

_I'll never stop loving you_

_ _

Shelby's world crashed the second she sat down. Every time Scott had ever been there for her flashed through her mind. Every tear, every kiss; her entire world revolved around the single fact that Scott was hers and now it had been taken from her. The tears welled up in her eyes once more and she sighed. _Don't_, she told herself calmly. _You cry in front of Britany, and you'll never make it out of this place alive. You had to do this._ Her mind kept telling her over and over. _You had to end it one way or that other, and you chose the painful way._ She took a few sips of Alex's wine, knowing that she shouldn't have but she needed a way to calm down. She tried to recall another time in her life that she needed the strength that Patty had given her. There was only one other time that her mind remembered:

~Patty always told her that when it came to getting caught, you have to stay tough. Weakness was never an option when it came to them. And that 's how it was when Shelby was delivered to her mother. After a short visit at her house, to get her things and say her 'good-byes' to her friends and Walt, Shelby and her mother drove four hours to get to the place her mother told her would do wonders for her. The sign that they passed read: MOUNT HORIZON HIGH SCHOOL, and by the looks of the woods that they drove through, there was no possible way Shelby was going to be able to get out of there without some serious planning. 

"Diet Coke?" Her sister Jessica's words jarred her from her thoughts. Shelby looked across the seat at Jessica and smiled as the younger girl held out another bottle of Coke. "Shelby?" She asked again before Shelby reached out to take the coke.

"Horizon will be a good place for you." Her mother said again. She was averaging that sentence three times and hour, and it was getting old. "There will be kids like you that you'll be able to relate to. And the constant supervision will help you with you're problems with authority-"

"Whatever you say **Mother**." Shelby took a sip of her Coke and smiled at her sister. Jessica was probably the only thing she knew she was going to miss from her old life. The closeness with her sister had to be the only thing worth salvaging from the many years of Walt sneaking into her room at night. _I'm doing this for her_. She told herself again. _If I stay up here and don't come back to that house, Jess will be safe. And that's how we're going to do this._ She could still feel Walt's hug on her skin. _Think of Jess._ She told herself one more time for good measure.

The car stopped in front of a huge wooden lodge. The campus was fairly large, with plenty of trees and fresh air. The teens that were loitering the yard were dressed warmly, with no visible holes in their jeans or shirts. The group of girls sitting on the steps of the lodge wasn't wearing any make up either. Suddenly Shelby knew this wasn't a good idea. She would have to find someone worth staying here for, and for Shelby Merrick- **correction**, Slate Harding, it wasn't going to be an easy task. Her mother got out of the car and walked into the lodge. Shelby turned to look at this one guy who was standing with people that could pass as his parents. He looked like he was having as much fun as she was. His black button-down shirt was opened showing off his muscular chest underneath a white wife-beater, and his pants were baggy enough so Shelby could recognize him as a guy who just recently got pulled from some gang activities. By the color of the bandanna he wore, she would have thought him from someplace out of the region, Atlanta maybe, or at the very least Chicago.

The boy turned to face her and he smiled. He didn't seem all that bad. His look was a little too bad boyish for her tastes. But if he were the only one that she could get to, he would do just fine. By then her mother had returned with two counselors. A male and a female. The woman introduced herself as Hannah. She was kind of short, almost as tall as Shelby, with light red hair, and a funny shaped nose. The man on the other hand had the look of a high school teacher to him. He was about as old as her mother, with short brown hair, no facial hair what so ever, and an almost caring nature. He introduced himself as Peter. 

"I just don't know what to do with her anymore." Shelby heard her mother tell the woman, Hannah quickly. "Walt and I can't keep her at home any longer. Every time the police and I seem to bring her back, she seems normal for a few days, then she's back to climbing out her window. We can't keep doing this to Jess. I can't keep disrupting her life because her sister is likes to run away." Her mother ran a well-manicured hand through long blonde hair and sighed heavily. 

Hannah nodded in agreement. "I know how troublesome that can get, Mrs. Blaine. I can assure you that we will do everything in our power to make sure Shelby stays safe." Peter looked through the windshield at the two girls in the backseat. The older one he presumed was Shelby. He could tell just from the look of her that she was going to be a tough nut to crack. Her eyes were bright blue, yet they held a sort of age to them that he wasn't used to seeing from the kids that was brought in by their parents. Whatever her demons were, she knew what they were and how to keep them there.

Peter walked around to the passenger side of the Honda Civic and opened the rear door. "Why don't you come on out here Shelby? This concerns you." He decided that with this girl he was going to take a different direction. "We won't hurt you here." He saw her dark eyes exchange meaningful glances with her mother's before climbing out of the car into the open air, her little sister, Jessica in tow. "I know how hard this must be on you-"

"You know nothing about me." She snapped, her voice heavy with anger and weariness. Her eyes shifted to his, challenging his gaze. "Don't try to pretend that you can understand my and my life. You'll only be disappointed." She slid her hands into her pockets and smiled sarcastically. That's when Peter finally got a good look at her. Her hair was curly then, thanks to the aid of her curling iron and tons of hairspray, and she wore a pair of tight blue jeans with a hole in the right knee. Her tank top was as tight as she could possibly have gotten it, and although she didn't choose to come up to his mountain, Peter saw that she held her head high. On her face, she wore an easily mistaken look of determination that Peter had never seen before in a female admit.

"Shelby Elizabeth Merrick," Mrs. Blaine snapped, trying to cover her embarrassment. "You do not talk to them that way!" She turned her head away from her daughter and smiled at Hannah.

Peter held up his hand to silence her. "We don't keep anyone from expressing their opinions here, Mrs. Blaine." He watched, as Jess was always one step behind Shelby, no matter what she did. "Shelby can say whatever she wants to. As long as it is only **said**, not carried out." He looked Shelby over again. She was strong and confident. She held herself like any other teenage girl that thought she could handle everything would. That just reassured him that this girl would take some time.

"Well we should be going now." Mrs. Blaine said smoothly, pulling Shelby into a quick hug. "I love you baby." She said quickly, climbing into the car. "Jessie give Shelby a hug and a kiss and come on." She instructed her youngest daughter. 

Jessica grabbed onto Shelby and refused to let go. "I love you Jess." Shelby said into her sister's hair. She had to be strong up here. She had to fight, for Jess's sake more than her own. "You'll be okay now. I promise." She held on to her sister until her mother honked the horn of the Accord. "Get going Jess, before she starts to get upset."

"Take care of yourself Shell." Jessica coughed into Shelby's shoulder. "Stay alive up here." Jessica let go of her sister and walked to the passenger side door. "I love you Shell." Jessica wiped her eyes and climbed into the car. 

"You'll be okay." Shelby said to her mind. "Walt won't touch her. He only wanted you." She turned back to Peter and Hannah and tried to smile for them. _Screw it._ She told her mind. _They have to find out about the nightmare sooner or later._ "So how hard is it to score a cig around this place?" She asked Peter as seriously as she could. Peter looked like she had just tried to shoot her. It was going to be a good day after all. ~

_It's going to take more than a lifetime _

_To give you all the love _

_All the love I feel for you tonight_

"Shell?" Scott asked, as his face flushed with worry. "You okay Shelby?" 

Shelby turned her face to him and smiled. "Just remembering a time where everything was easier." Scott gave her a strange look and she smile. "At least a time where bugging Peter was the highlight of my life." 

Scott nodded understandingly and recalled in his mind the first time he realized that Shelby might be strong enough to handle him; Or at least strong enough to look after her own heart. 

_From now until forever _

_That's how long I'll be true _

_I'll make you this vow_

_ _

~ Scott pulled Shelby into a passionate kiss as the thunder rolled through the heavens. The rain fell out of the sky like tiny droplets of clouds, which soaked the Earth. He pulled her onto the bunk that had been dubbed his and she moaned into his mouth. The kiss lasted a few minutes before Shelby broke it off. She took few deep breaths before turning and looking into his desire filled eyes. "See?" She asked him as if she were talking to a little kid. "Was that so bad?"

Scott looked directly into her eyes. He sighed and smiled half-heartedly. "Shelby?" He asked her curiously.

Shelby smiled into his lips. "Yeah?" 

The thunder clapped in the sky as Scott said the next words. "Stop talking." He commanded softly, his mouth turning upright into a mischievous smile. He kissed her again. Pulling her into him with his strong arms. He felt her lean back onto the bed before she pulled away.

"Make me want to stop." She challenged him softly, biting his lower lip.

He shut her up that time with a kiss. Sweet and sensual, both of them knew that the kiss would wind up meaning more than life itself. The kiss intensified, becoming more passionate than either had hoped it would be. But still, Shelby couldn't resist proving to him that she was right about them getting together. "Nice."

Then she noticed that he pulled away from her, a strange look spreading across his face. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. In reality though, his mind returned him back to his own bedroom, in his own house. The night was exactly like this one, wild stormy, a little unruly. The door opens and his stepmother Elaine enters, wearing a white negligee. The footsteps can be heard throughout the house as she walks over to the bed. Scott tries to shake the visions of Elaine off as he kisses Shelby once more. The thunder claps outside and this eyes snap open as lightning flashes. Instead of staring into Shelby's eyes, he looks directly at a picture of him and his father. It was a picture of father and son during happier times. The lightening struck again and he heard Elaine's voice throughout his head. _This is nice Scotty. _Scott tries to block the visions of Elaine by clamping his eyes shut so tightly, as Shelby's arms slowly wrap around his neck. Although his body is there, on the bed, with Shelby, his mind is still on Elaine, or rather what Elaine did to him. _This is our secret._ "No." He said softly, letting go of Shelby and forcing her away from him.

Shelby dropped her arms the second Scott broke contact with her mouth. "What's wrong?"

She could barely make out his response. It was as soft as a pin drop, but Shelby heard it. "You said never again." His eyes were closed, and she knew he was somewhere else, but his reaction to her kiss surprised her. 

"What are you talking about?" She asked him strangely. She had never seen this kind of reaction to something like this. To tell the truth, she wasn't quite sure what she should do. Whether or not she should go to Peter and Sophie about this, or just leave it alone.

_Shhh, he'll hear us._ The voice in his head said cautiously. He forced Shelby as far away from his as he could get her and shouted at air. Shaking his head, he turns back to the picture. "Leave me alone!"

Now Shelby was definitely scared. It was like he was in the same kind of trance she used to get when she worked on the streets; only his made him lose all thought patterns. "Earth to Scott?" She tried to joke. It helped her more than she thought it did him.

But the only thing Scott could hear in his head was his stepmother's voice _Scotty?_ He turned harshly and Shelby almost fell off of the bed. "**LEAVE ME ALONE**!" He shouted angrily at nothing in particular. Shelby froze. She didn't even try to breathe right. Scott focused onto the end of the bed. The lightning flashed again and illuminated his eyes. 

She was there. Standing near the foot of Scott's bed was Elaine. Her white negligee was flowing around her body in the storm. She seemed to be shivering. "I'm scared of the storm, Scotty." She told him sadly.

"Don't call me that." He snapped at the image of the dark haired woman near him. He was terrified of what would happen if he actually let himself go. What might happen if he decided that he could live with what he had done?

Shelby allowed her eyes to move from Scott's face to the foot of the bed. But unlike Scott, she saw nothing but the bunk across the room. "Whatever you took just kicked in." She attempted to joke. He didn't even acknowledge that she was in the room with him. All he saw was whatever was at the end of the bed. 

"You make me sick." Scott snickered at whatever he was seeing. Elaine reached out to him.

"And it's a bad trip to boot." Shelby tried again. She thought if she could only get him to talk to her. Maybe, just maybe he would tell her what the hell was going on.

"Be honest." Elaine said sweetly. "You like how I make you feel."

Scott never wavered. "I hate you." He tried to say evenly. The vision of Elaine sat on the bed next to him and he convulsed unconsciously. "Don't touch me." He tried to say through the shakes. His body was reacting to something that Shelby didn't know if she wanted to see. Slowly she stood and headed to the door, which had by now swung itself open with the help of the winds.

"You asked for it, remember?" Elaine reminded him harshly. 

"That's a lie." Scott shot back. He just wanted her to go away so he could get back to his life. The one he wanted to live, not the one that revolved around the secret that he was certain to take to his grave.

"I saw how you watched me." Elaine tried again to get her Scotty to see the error of his ways. 

Scott shook his head harder than the rest of his body. "You said no more." He reminded her viciously. 

Elaine's hand touched his shoulder and he slumped backward. "I never said that, Scotty." She leaned in to kiss him, and suddenly she was gone. Scott pulled his knees up into fetal position against his chest and began to rock back and forth. He was trying so hard to make the dreams go away. The tears started down his face harder than anyone thought possible. 

By this time, Shelby had made it as far as the large wooden door that swung itself shut again. She reached out to open it when she heard Scott crying. "Shelby?" He asked sorrowfully. He couldn't believe that this had happened when she was in the room with him. She didn't turn to acknowledge that she heard him so he tried again. "Shelby please?" He pleaded with her back.

But Shelby couldn't take anymore of this on again off again weirdness. She needed to be out there in the storm to calm her thoughts. "I'm out of here." She said quickly, hoping to get out the door before he changed her mind. 

"Please don't go." She heard from behind her. He sounded so weak to her. He was so different from the Scott that he had been half an hour ago, back when he wanted her and no one else.

"You're scaring me." She warned him gently, moving to the door again.

"I'm scared too." He finally admitted to someone other than himself. "Please," he tried pleading with her again. "Shelby . . . don't go." It took her exactly three seconds to change her mind, then another four to turn and move to his side. She sat on the end that Elaine had been at; the end that he was so scared to turn to.

Scott calms himself to the point where he can sit up. Shelby still sits across from him, but she made no move to further her body away from him. Though she made no move to him either. "She would come to my bedroom - - say she was scared and stuff." Scott explained sheepishly. He wasn't sure what made him more self-conscious, the fact that Shelby found out what Elaine had done to him, or the fact that it happened as he was trying to make out with her. 

Shelby sat there silently. Just listening to him. "How long has she been your stepmother?" She asked him cautiously.

"A year."

As much as she didn't want to hear what his answer would be, Shelby began to ask the question that she knew would help him get her out of his system. "And when was " She started to feel her cheeks turn a light shade of pink. "Like . . . the first time?" 

Scott turned away from her now. "Couple months after she moved in."

Her mind recalled the vision of her own stepfather. "Don't get mad," she said after a second. "Cause I know this is gonna sound really bad . . ." She stopped and looked at his form. Deep in her heart she knew what he was going through, but she couldn't see it through his eyes, so she just tried to lighten things up and hear it in his words. "I kind of thought guys always wanted it."

His remark was silent, but it was there. "Me too."

"I thought this stuff only happened to girls." She said as she scooted closer to him. He placed his hand around her waist and she leaned into him.

"Which makes me even more of a freak."

"You're not the freak." Shelby almost shouted at him. She had tried to understand, but him pitying himself only made it worse. "Elaine's the freak." She leaned away from him and turned to look into his eyes. "See. That's what I hate." She tried to sound a little more understanding, and a little less pissed, but she couldn't do it. "This jacked up thing happened to you, and you act like it's **your** fault." 

"I never stopped her." He explained sadly.

Shelby was persistent. "But you **tried**."

"But I still-" He leaned into his bed and sighed. "You know..." 

"Maybe because it felt good." Shelby put her realization into his head and sighed.

Scott's face contorted strangely as he took in her words. "What?"

"Is she pretty?" Shelby put her sentence another way.

Scott spoke a little too quickly. "She makes me sick."

"Yeah, I know, **now**." She looked deep into his eyes and smiled at what she saw there. "But think back to the first time you saw her. Like, when your dad first brought her home. Was she pretty to you?"

The picture of Elaine popped into his head again. "I guess…"

"So maybe that's why you flipped out." Shelby rationalized for him. "You feel like you fantasizing about her or whatever makes you guilty." She took his face in her hands and forced him to look into her eyes. "I don't Scott." She told him bluntly. "It doesn't make you guilty-"

"But she's my dad's wife!" He protested strongly, pulling away from her. "He loves her." 

"She's the one playing the head games and lying and making threats." The words on her lips sounded too much like Peter for her taste, but if it was going to help Scott, then she had to say them. "She's the one who should be carted off to some…psycho ward." That was when they both noticed that the rain had stopped pouring and turned into a heavy drizzle. They had spent a little over two hours in the boys bunk. "Are you gonna tell these guys here?" She asked slowly, not knowing what to say to anyone if they asked her what happened that night.

Scott shook his head a few times before stammering: "I don't know…"

"If you did," she started slowly, allowing her voice to carry throughout the room. "They would have to tell, you know."

"My Dad?"

"Everybody." The single word hung in the air like an axe. "Your Dad. The cops. It's the law of the school or something." She watched as Scott's face paled. "It happened to another girl who was here. In Group she told that her Dad was abusing her and they had to report it."

"What happened? "

"He came and took her home." She said more to herself than to him. She was reminding herself that she had to stay here for Jess's sake if not her own; And that's what she would do. She would stay at Horizon as long as it took for that sick bastard to hurry up and die.   
  


Scott looked at her as if she was about to shoot him. "You won't tell, will you?" He asked her earnestly, trying to read her answer off of her face.

"No." She thought again of Walt at her home, watching television and throwing glares at her sister. "I won't tell." She stood and headed for the door when Scott's voice called her back.

"Hey!" She turned and again he caught the desire in her eyes. He wanted her now. More now than before, and this time it wasn't physical. It was purely for what she had inside. "Thanks."

She threw a sidelong glance at him and smiled. "Yeah well," She laughed to herself as he smiled. "We'll see what you say when you get my bill." ~

Shelby watched Scott for a long moment before smiling. "You still here, Cowboy?" She asked him, the smile in her eyes reflecting in her voice. 

Scott shook off the memory and smiled back at her. _Whatever it takes._ He vowed to himself, _I will have her back in my arms._  
  


   [1]: mailto:Darlasfriend@aol.com



	7. One Morp Time

DISCLAIMER: I own no one

DISCLAIMER: I own no one. I claim to own no one (with the exception of Alex, Connie, Brittany, and anyone else I want to throw in there to confuse the heck out of you guys), and if I did, Hayden wouldn't see the light of day again. LOL…. I don't own any of the songs either. The complete list will be at the bottom of the story if you want it. I also have no clue where Scott's father lives so I just took a guess. If anyone can help me on that I'd be really appreciative.

(~) Means flashbacks

(*) Means dreams

Any other questions e-mail me at [Darlasfriend@aol.com][1]

~The eyes are the windows to ones soul. ~Unknown

That night, everyone slept soundly in the lodge. Everyone, that is with the exception of Shelby. She was constantly sitting up and watching as Brittany stretched out and wrapped her tan arms around Scott's waist. After about ten minutes of just laying there, watching them sleep, Shelby stood and wandered out onto the deck. She had no way of knowing that Auggie was also awake, and watching her. Slowly he kissed Juliet on the forehead as he detangled himself from her. Juliet woke and said nothing as she saw her boyfriend walk out the door to be with Shelby. She didn't have to say anything. Juliet knew that Auggie was hers and Shelby was merely a person in pain. 

Auggie plopped down next to Shelby and smiled. "Lemme guess," he tried to joke. "You couldn't sleep?"

Shelby didn't know what to do. Should she tell Auggie and listen to his guidance? Or should she just tell him to go back to bed and sit in silence? Neither option seemed too appealing to her. So she just decided to sit there and wait for Auggie to tell her something useful. The crickets chirped happily as the tears rolled down her face. She wasn't sure why exactly she was crying. It wasn't something that Shelby was used to doing in front of people. Though she did seem to do it more lately. Since Scott had returned. Wiping her eyes, she decided that silence around Auggie was not always a good thing, so she turned her head to him and attempted a smile. "Why'd you come out here?" She asked, her voice catching in her throat.

"Because I can remember the strong girl that saw me through the window of her mother's Accord." He replied gently, brushing the tears aside. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. Nor am I going to pretend I know what you're going through." Shelby could see the concern in his eyes, even when he smiled. "What I am going to do, however, is sit here with you until you feel like talking."

After about five minutes of silence, Shelby turned to him. "How much do you remember?" She asked him bluntly.

"How much do I remember about what?" Auggie returned her stare.

"Me." Her voice was stronger than it was a few minutes ago. "How much can you remember about who I was before I met Scott?"

The night air got just a bit warmer as he began to speak. "The Shelby I remember when I first got here wasn't the nicest person to talk to." Auggie conjured up a mental picture of the girl that they all thought of as harsh. "In fact, I don't think I ever had a conversation with Kat when she didn't call you Bitch of the Year." Shelby giggled a little, more than she did earlier. "We all knew you had your daemons Shells. We all saw the way you watched each guy that passed you. We just figured you were scooping out the area for possible 'victims.' 

"You were always copping an attitude with Peter, and everyone seemed to hate you for one thing or another. Kat didn't like the fact that you never said anything you didn't have to in Group. Jules blamed you for every punishment she ever got, even when she deserved it, and you had no real use or EZ. Lets face it, the boy was in love with you." They both laughed and Shelby leaned back against the one of the support beams. "And me? I had no clue what to do with you." Shelby smirked at that. It wasn't everyday that you get Auggie to tell you what he thought about. "But we all noticed that there was something missing in your life that you couldn't seem to figure out how to get for yourself." His statement was calm, calculated. He wanted to talk to her like he did over the summer. 

"How did you know?" She asked him bluntly.

"Something about the way you would stare at Meat once he got here." Auggie let go of any feelings that he would have thought he had when it came to Shelby and told her the truth. "The way you watched him and Jules without saying a word. Every Group you got louder, every act you had got bolder. Peter couldn't stand how you would be sarcastic and hateful one minute, and then Scott would walk in and you would become docile and agreeable." He pushed her hair out of her face and their eyes met. "You would become a completely different person, and we liked it." 

Shelby giggled and scooted closer to him. "So what are you doing out here?" She asked him with a smirk. "Jules roll over in her sleep?"

Auggie hit her lightly in the head. "I heard a friend cry for help." He said simply, wrapping his arms around her. Shelby laughed one more time and he looked at her cautiously.

"You're not going to kiss me again, are you?" She still teased him on that one. They both remembered that day very well. "Although, I can't complain about the first one. I now know why Jules likes you." Her smirk lit up the dark porch, and Auggie laughed. "If you ever want to do it again, just let me know."

"I'll be sure to give you warning." Auggie joked as she leaned back onto his arms. 

"I still can't figure out what happened to me?" Shelby said absentmindedly. Her voice dropped dramatically. She stopped moving, and for a moment, she was completely still.

"What do you mean?" Auggie leaned forward to see her face, which was devoid of all emotion. Her eyes were beginning to water again, but she didn't seem to notice. "Shell?"

"Like you said, when I first got here, I was a bitch." He tried to smile, but he couldn't muster the strength. "I kept my cool, I had my attitude, I was the only person I know who could tell Peter where to stick it while smiling." She leaned into the railing, and allowed her head to hit the wood. "Now I'm freaking out, falling apart, and hell, I've started throwing things around."

"So you're **human** Shelby, there's nothing new about that." Auggie pulled her over into his lap again, and began to stroke her soft blonde hair. "Nothing **happened** to you since Scott got here. You just seemed to find that thing that you wanted. You found that thing that Walt had convinced you that you couldn't have." Without thinking, Auggie leaned into her and kissed the back of her neck. Shelby smiled as she leaned into his lips. Her eyes fluttered shut, as she smiled. "You're **strong**, Shelby. Stronger than anyone I've met out there on the streets. I know it's hard to live each day knowing what that sick bastard did to you, and what you were reduced to so you could get away from him. But look at yourself now." Auggie forced her to turn around and look directly into his eyes. 

"Scott didn't fall in love with you because you're beautiful, you know that. He fell in love with you because you don't run away from what you're afraid of. Not anymore anyway. And you sure as hell didn't back down when he freaked about your life on the streets." Shelby tried to turn away from him, but for once Auggie's hold was too strong for her. "He fell in love with you for the same reason Alex did. For the same reason **I** did."

That got Shelby's attention. "Auggie, I thought we talked about this. You've got Jules-"

"I said I loved you, not that I'm **in** love with you." Shelby began to calm down, and he let go of her. "Up here, even through the worst of it, you always were the strongest. You certainly had you're moments that proved you were just like the rest of us," Images flashed through both of their minds: The evening that Shelby trashed the camp, the time she ran away from her Solo site, the various times that they found her in the bathroom after she had cut herself. "But after all that happened, you came back to us. You were back to being the bitch that we expected." Both of them laughed and Auggie turned away from her. "You couldn't be bruised, you couldn't be broken, and for that, you were loved."

Shelby slid down onto the next step and turned around to face him. "You think that's why he fell in love with me." Her eyes were so full of hope.

There was nothing Auggie could think to say to her to keep her from thinking that there was a way that she could get Scott away from Brittany during the Morp. "You know that I can't answer that fairly." He tried to give her his best Peter look. "But what I do know is that you should get some sleep if you're going to be up early tomorrow." Shelby tried to pout, and Auggie just laughed at her. "Get in there, cuddle up to that cute little sister of yours, and get some rest." He kissed her forehead and pulled her up and into the lodge. He watched as she slid into the spot between Brittany and Jessica, and here eyes were closed as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"Okay you two, time to get up now." Peter called out as he pulled the blanket off of Shelby's bare legs. "Come on guys," he added as Shelby actually started to wake up. The person lying to her left however didn't move. "I really should give you two shuns for this." Shelby's feet were hit with a blast of cold air. Her stomach, although it was as uncovered at her feet, stayed remarkably warm. 

"You don't get shuns for trying to sleep late." Shelby murmured, as she groped for her blanket. It slid just out of her reach as the person next to her pulled it over his or her own legs. As she rolled over, whatever it was that was on her stomach readjusted. Scooting closer to the direction of the heat, Shelby found that there was now hot air being blown onto her cheek. Opening her eyes slightly she realized why Peter was threatening her with shuns.

"Shelby, get up!" Peter knelt and moved Scott's arm off of Shelby's waist. Scott unconsciously scooted closer to Shelby. "Scott!" Peter coughed close enough to the boy's ear. "Boys have kitchens this morning." Scott shook himself awake and realized that he was practically lying on top of Shelby. He jumped slightly before regaining his composure and standing, heading directly into the dining hall without even glancing back at Shelby. Shelby sat up and looked at the place on the floor where Brittany laid sleeping, utterly alone. "Alex has a surprise for the girls out in the gazebo." Peter laughed at how fast Shelby stood and made her was to the door. 

The Cliffhanger girls were sitting in the gazebo, some awake, most half asleep. Shelby slid into the seat next to Daisy and smiled at how her sister was leaning up against Juliet. Her eyes turned to Alex as he walked up to the group. "I know you girls want to get ready for tonight's…festivities, shall we say." He paused to watch as the girls stared blankly at the front of his white shirt. "So I'll make this short and sweet-"

"That would involve less talking." Shelby cracked sarcastically.

"I didn't realize that," Alex bit back the urge to call her Slate. "So I'm just going to let the surprise speak for itself." He turned around to face the side of the trees, and smiled. "You can come out now!" He shouted for only a second before something cracked a twig and a figure emerged from the wood.

"Oh My God!" Juliet shrieked, and for once no one seemed to mind. Once the figure was out into the clearing, Juliet launched herself at it.

Kat reacted faster than anyone thought she would. Taking a few steps back, Juliet had to stand and dust herself off before pulling Kat into a huge bear hug. "Now that I know one of you have missed me." She joked as Juliet took a step back to allow the others access to their old friend. Daisy reached her next. "It's good to see you're still alive." She joked as she grabbed at the pale girl. 

"Well I keep meaning to, but with everything Peter and Sophie have had us doing, I just haven't found the time." Daisy turned and pushed Shelby up closer to Kat. "This one on the other hand keeps trying to **make **time." 

For a few minutes, no one said anything. Shelby just stood there staring at Kat. Neither girls moved closer, yet they didn't back up. Daisy was about to open her mouth when Shelby's thin lips curled up into a strange smile. "Well, you know me, Scott goes away and I have to find **something** to do around here." Kat pulled her into a hug and Shelby tried to cover up how she was feeling. "A girl gets bored of the fresh mountain air too easily up here."

"I know what you mean." Kat joked in her usual friendly tone, while mentally making a note to talk to the younger girl. Looking around the group she noticed the one Cliffhanger that she hadn't hugged yet. "You gonna come over here Jess, or do I have to tackle you?" Jessica moved over to Kat and they hugged briefly. "Where are the guys?"

"Kitchens," Shelby said shortly, not bothering to tell them how she knew this. Daisy threw a strange glance her way but she shook it off. "And you **must **meet the newest addition to the Cliffhanger group as soon as possible." Shelby sounded way to happy to be talking about Scott's friend. Off of Kat's look Shelby smiled. "Brittany Woods, Scott's new…shall we dare to call her, girlfriend...? We'll fill you in on the rest during breakfast."

"I'm sure the guys might want to see her too." Alex said shortly, noticing how everyone forgot he was even there. 

"Oh, I forgot to thank you." Kat nodded to Alex. "You really shouldn't have spent all that money for me to come to the Morp. I promise you I'll-"

"Not even give it another thought." Alex pulled Kat to the back of the group heading to the lodge and pointed at the smile on Shelby's face. "That's why I did it. That's the only thanks I need." Kat noticed the sincerity in his voice and decided that Alex was another thing that she had to talk to Shelby about. The last she heard about Shelby, they had to call in Doctor Madison twice due to her cutting herself. Now she was smiling and joking about Scott having a new girlfriend. 

"She's very lucky to have you in her corner." Kat said pointedly and Ezra, who seemed to come out of nowhere, pulled her into a huge bear hug. "Breathing…becoming a necessity." Kat gasped as Ezra held her tight. Finally she just pushed him backward. "Can I get some air?" She asked him harshly, both of them knew she was joking. 

Auggie was the next to hug her, followed briefly by David. Then she saw them. Scott and some blonde that looked a lot like Shelby in the corner of the room. "You coming over to give me a hug Barringer, or do I have to beat one out of you?" Kat watched as the girl to Scott's left shifted uncomfortably as Scott pulled her into a small hug. "And who would your new friend be?" She asked, trying to smile at the girl she presumed to be Brittany. 

"Katherine Cabot," Scott pointed to the girl. "This is Brittany Woods." Then as if he felt compelled to do so: "She's an old friend of mine from high school." Scott watched as Kat glanced at Brittany's outfit and frowned. "Brit, this is Katherine Cabot. She's a former Cliffhanger. She was our group leader last year."

"Nice to meet you." Kat tried to sound enthusiastic about Scott's new/ old _friend_ but she kept glancing at Shelby, who looked almost utterly alone standing between to Ezra and Auggie.

"Likewise." Brittany smiled and leaned into Scott's arm. "I've heard so much about you from Mr. Scarburrow and the rest of the Cliffhangers." Suddenly, Brittany felt the urge to get out of the room and away from all of the eyes glaring at her. "I think I need some fresh air, Scotty." She whispered lightly. "I'll be back in a minute."

Once outside Brittany stopped on the deck and looked out over the campus. It felt so weird to be out in the open, so exposed to anything and everything. She didn't even know why Scotty came back to this place. It was so unlike the lifestyle that he had back in L.A. There, he had been a king. Here, he was just another fucked up kid on the side of a mountain. It was only then that Brittany realized that the Scotty she knew wasn't around anymore. He had a different way of thinking now. And if she didn't think fast, there was no way she could get that Scotty she had become infatuated with back in her arms. "If only I knew." She whispered to herself.

"If only you knew what?" A voice from behind her asked carefully. Brittany turned to look directly into a pair of deep blue eyes. Shelby stood a few feet away from her, arms folded in front of her chest. She didn't know why, but Brittany felt a strange connection with Scott's former love. Maybe it was just the fact that they looked so much alike. "Come on Brittany," Shelby said hurriedly. "What is it that you wish you knew?"

"Only what time we were leaving to get ready for the Morp." Brittany tried to smile but came up with just a twisted frown.

"Do I have to call you a liar? Or are you going to tell me?" Shelby took a few steps closer to the girl and stopped. "We don't have secrets up here." Shelby moved to where she was leaning on the railing, her eyes scanning the horizon for something neither of them could figure out. "If you don't want to tell me I'd at least mention something about what you're thinking to Scott. He hates liars." Shelby pushed her body away from the wooden railing and moved to go inside.

"Did you love him?" Brittany asked simply, not turning to see Shelby stop short of the huge door.

Turning slightly, Shelby saw a small tear in Brittany's eye. "Did I love who?" She blinked back her own tears and smiled harshly. "Scott?" After a slight nod from Brittany, Shelby closed her eyes. "What I felt for him didn't even come close to being called love." Shelby took one last look at the girl that caused her so much trouble and headed back into the building. "It was so much more."

Brittany turned and watched Shelby go into the lodge before taking a few steps off of the porch. "Maybe that's your problem, you love him too much."

   [1]: mailto:Darlasfriend@aol.com



	8. New Location

Disclaimer::: I own no one, I just like to play with them from time to time. 

"Okay! Can we get a little less noise in here?." Alex yelled over the large group of Horizon students that had gathered in the lodge after breakfast. There were kids everywhere. On the stairs there were the Cliffhangers, and sitting on the couches were the Ridge Runners. It was as if the entire campus had been crammed into the tiny room. "Here's how we're going to handle today." He looked over at Connie and smiled.

"After Peter is finished with his announcements," Connie started, looking at the clipboard that she always had attached to her hand. "The Cliffhangers are gonna report to the vans and everyone else is going to report to the following rooms. "Ridge Runner, Sun Dog and Tracker girls will head to the Sun Dog's bunk to start taking showers. The boys of said groups should go to the Ridge Runner's bunk." She looked over the list once more before turning to Alex. "If I haven't called your groups name, you'll meet Sophie and Jeff near the gazebo." She took a step down the stairs and motioned Peter up to the top. "Peter?"

"I don't think I need to remind you guys that you will be heavily supervised." Peter started simply, putting an emphasis on the fact that he's said it before. "But, as you guys have noticed, the lodge looks nowhere near close to being ready to house the Morp." He heard groans from everywhere in the crowd as many thought he was going to cancel the dance. "And-" Still more groans from his audience. "**And**, I think it's about time to tell you what's going to happen tonight.

"As you've heard, you will be getting ready for the Morp in groups; With the exception of the Cliffhanger's, of course. Then once you guys are ready, you will be lead back here and put on busses." The noise flared up again as the entire room started complaining. "Now guys-" Peter couldn't get the large group of teenagers quiet enough to finish his announcement.

"**Hey**!" Auggie shouted from his place on the edge of the balcony. The room quieted down in little less than a minute. "You guys want to stop talking long enough for Peter to finish. You might like this one." Auggie waved over to Peter who just stood there shocked.

"Thank you Auggie." Peter looked at Alex one more time to try to find the words to tell the groups the good news. "As I was trying to say, you guys will be lead out to busses where you'll be taken to the Madison Hotel in Seattle." Shouts and claps resounded through the lodge as Peter raised a hand to quiet the group. "Thanks to a donation made by Mr. Wallace, we're able to make a location change for the Morp."

Alex smiled as his gaze passed Shelby's. The look on her face was unreadable. Either she wanted him dead, or she was thanking him. "Lets get to work guys." Alex clapped his hands and the room erupted with held back excitement. It was an odd site to see one hundred and fifty kids excited about just one dance. As he passed the Cliffhangers on his way down the stairs his hand was caught by Shelby's and he stopped to look at her. "Is there something that I can do for you, Ms. Merrick?" He asked her in a mock serious tone. 

"Actually, there is." Shelby used Alex as a brace to help herself up. "I was wondering if you had a date for the Morp already?" She followed him as he moved down the stairs and out onto the porch. 

The smile on Alex's face was nothing compared to the joy in his heart. "Not at the moment," he tried to make it look as if her had many offers, but every time he would look into Shelby's eyes his bravado failed him. "Why would it be of any concern of yours?" 

Shelby leaned into him and held his deep green eyes in her blue ones. "I just thought you might want to accompany a poor helpless girl to her senior Prom." She laughed brightly as Alex blushed.

"You're anything but helpless." Alex started, knowing all too well that Shelby was testing his attraction to her. 

"We can pretend for at least one night, can't we?" Her smile was a cross between secretive and evil, which usually meant that Shelby was hiding something. "I'll see you tonight." She kissed him lightly and grabbed the make-up bag that Kat was handing her. The two girls made their way out to the van labeled _GIRLS_ and climbed in. After buckling her seat belt Shelby watched Kat looking at her for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Anything wrong Kat?" Shelby asked smiling.

"What's up with you and Alex?" She asked in her best Peter voice. "Is he to you what Brittany is to Scott?"

Shelby scooted closer to Kat so Juliet could throw her bag into the back seat and climb in next to it. "Alex is just a friend of mine from back when I wasn't Shelby Merrick." That was the only explanation that she offered, and that was the only thing that Kat accepted. 

Juliet, on the other hand couldn't leave it alone. "Alex has got to be more than just a close friend from your past." She said less subtle than Kat. "After all, he flew Kat out here from **New York** so she could go to the Morp. And **hello**, if it wasn't for him, we would be staring at the lodge all night instead of dancing in the Grand Ballroom at the Madison Hotel." Shelby looked away from Juliet and the younger girl smiled. "Come on Shell, you can't deny that the guy has it bad for you."

"Who has what for her?" Auggie asked as he climbed into the van behind Shelby. 

"No one has anything for me." Shelby said simply. "Now get out of the **girls** van before our wonderful El Capitan decides that you should be on shuns." She saw Auggie frown as he climbed out and propped one leg on her armrest. "Didn't I tell you to get into your own van?" Shelby asked as Auggie gave Juliet a quick kiss before disappearing into the van parked next to it. Before Juliet had time to say anything Shelby turned and handed her a box out of her duffle bag. 

After staring at the small brown box, Juliet decided to open it. Inside was a small silver necklace. The charm was a simple claddagh. Two hands held onto a crowned heart. It was the most exquisite thing that Juliet had ever seen in her life. As Kat strained to see it in the dim light, Shelby tossed a package; similar to the one the Juliet had gotten into her lap. Inside the small box was a silver bracelet and necklace set. A series of letters made up both the bracelet and the necklace. Shelby recited the letters for Kat rather than turning on the overhead light. "CH – Cliffhangers, KC – you're initials, SM – me, JW – Jules, AC – Auggie, DGL – Daisy, EF – Freakin, SB – Scott, JM – Jessica, DR – David, PS – Peter, and SBS – Sophie, then they just start repeating themselves. I was going to send it to you after I bought it, but Alex told me that he would see that you got it." Shelby laughed and pulled out two more boxes. "Everyone gets some thing new for the Morp." She laughed as Peter and Daisy climbed into the van. Peter turned around and did a quick head count. "We're missing Jess." Shelby said as her sister jumped into the back next to Juliet and pulled the door shut behind her. 

"Then again," Daisy turned to Peter and smiled as he started the van. "On boy." She commanded softly. 

After two and a half hours in one of the small salons in Seattle near the hotel, Shelby and the rest of the Cliffhanger girls climbed into the van. Peter had allowed Shelby to drive while he oversaw the decoration of the Grand Ballroom, so Shelby was determined to make it a long trip. With the aid of Alex's credit card, each girl got full manicures and pedicures, as well as a few new bottles of fingernail polish just in case the color they chose didn't match their gowns exactly. Then Shelby got them all ice cream on the way back to the hotel. When they pulled up the boys were just finishing unloading the truck Jeff brought up with all the decorations. 

"Whoa," Auggie said quickly as the girls got out and Shelby began to light a cigarette. "You should be careful. Peter's been running in and out of the building all day." Shelby put the unlit cigarette back into her purse and nodded. "Not a prob." 

Ezra came up behind Auggie and smiled at the girls. "And where have you been?" He asked in his best Horizon counselor voice. "You should have been here an hour ago."

"We got held up," Shelby giggled as Scott showed up. "I felt like earning a few extra bucks on Main Street." The look on Ezra's face made all the girls bust out laughing and head inside. "Have you guys already taken out gowns up to the suite?" She asked Scott as nicely as she could manage.

"Yeah," A set of hands wrapped around Shelby's waist and she turned to look directly into David's eyes. "But the diary locks weren't necessary. We weren't going to peek." But Shelby wasn't listening. She was too busy wondering about why Scott was staring at her with that look in his eyes that she used to melt when she saw. "Shell?" David asked her sweetly, his arms shaking her a few times. "Shelby."

She snapped back into reality the second Scott looked away. "I'm just tired." She excused, and her and the rest of the girls headed up the grand staircase to the suite.

"Jessica's gonna take less time to do," Juliet started as she emptied the contents of her duffle bag onto he queen size four poster bed that was in the room that her and Jessica were to share. Make-up and other assorted hair items fell out and covered the bed. "Shelby and I can do her last." She looked out the door and across the large sitting room to Shelby and Daisy's room. Shelby nodded and pulled the contents of her duffle bag out and laid them neatly onto the bed. Shoes, make-up cases and curling irons and blow dryers were set in a certain order to determine what needed to be used. "I think we should start with everyone's hair and just go from there."

"That sounds reasonable." Shelby pulled out a few butterfly clips and smiled at Kat. "Hit the shower Cabot." She joked as she lifted one of the smaller hairdryers off of the bed and pointed it at Kat as if threatening her with it. "And Daze, you're next."

*****I'm gonna be nice tonight, and only ask for 12 reviews before I start to post the Morp. I also ask that you guys help me come up with meaningful songs to play at the Morp. Just include them in your Review. Thankx

Illusia


	9. Flowers and Bows

Daisy had no idea what the girls had done to her

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just like to play with them from time to time. 

*I haven't been getting as many reviews I used to, but I'm going to post this anyway. But be warned, if I don't get at least 10, I'm not posting anymore. 

"The eyes are the window to your soul"~Unknown

Daisy had no idea what the girls had done to her. She had done her own make-up for the last Morp, but Shelby had practically forced her into the chair this time, telling her that she would do it. "Wait, don't look until you have you're shoes on...Now!" Shelby dropped two shoes onto the floor and Daisy slipped into them absentmindedly. She didn't know what she was supposed to do now. 

"Look at that!" Juliet squealed jubilantly.

The girl in the mirror had fine, light brown hair waving softly back from her face. The highlights shimmered when Daisy moved her head, so it must have been her- _but it **couldn't **be_, Daisy thought to herself. **Her** eyes didn't have that dreamy mysterious aura. Her skin hadn't had that dewy glow, and she didn't blush the way that Shelby had shown her, to bring out her cheekbones. And her lips definitely didn't have that breathless ready-to-be-kissed look to them.

"It's the lipstick," Juliet explained. "Keep your hands away from your face so you don't smudge it."

"It's possible," Kat's voice could be heard behind her, but Daisy didn't want to turn around and look for her. She had already seen what they had done to her. "That you've gone a little too far with this, Shells."

"Don't you just love the way the dress curves into the floor?" Jessica asked as she fluffed Daisy's dress one more time for good measure. The Cliffhanger girls had already decided that they were going to send one girl out at a time. With the exception of Kat and Jess, who were going to walk out together. Unfortunately for Daisy, she was going to be the first one out. Daisy couldn't do anything but stare at her image in the mirror. The girl that was staring back at her, the one with the delicate cheekbones and the swan's neck, turned from side to side. The dress was silvery and shimmering, like yards and yards of starlight, and it made Daisy feel like she was a princess. Juliet's shoes appropriately looked like glass slippers.

"She's speechless." Jess commented to her sister before sliding her own shoes on. "Quick, lets throw her out before she tries to kill us." 

She took one of Daisy's hands as Shelby took the other. They led her to the door and Shelby kissed her friends cheek, making sure to wipe off the faint lipstick print that her light pink lip-gloss had left on her cheek. Then, by herself, Shelby led her to the corner right before the stairs that emptied out to the grand ballroom below. "You'll be fine." She whispered as a little comfort, sliding the ring that she had kept in her top drawer onto Daisy's finger. Daisy looked at the cold metal, than back at Shelby for conformation. "I was going to give it to you earlier, but it just didn't seem right. Patty always let me borrow it when I needed the strength to make it through the night. I think you'll need it more than I will tonight." She let go of Daisy's hand and watched as she cautiously made her way to the stairs. The guys were waiting at the bottom, and the second that David and Ezra noticed that Daisy was at the top of the stairs, they practically gave themselves whiplash trying to crane their necks to see her. She descended down the stairs into Ezra's arms, and they moved away from the group of guys. "Knock 'em dead." Shelby whispered to herself, fingering the silver necklace that had also once belonged to her dear friend.

Shelby walked back to the suite and went straight to the room that she and Daisy shared. She was the next person in line to go down the stairs, and that meant that she had to get dressed. She had already done her hair, and Juliet and Kat had already finished her makeup. Now all she had to do was ask Connie to help her zip up her dress and slide into her shoes. She checked her make-up as she left the room and looked at the three other occupants of the suite. "Next?" She said sweetly, running a hand through her somewhat stiff hair. She was amazed at the hold of the hairspray. Jess slipped on the slippers that Daisy had been wearing before it was her turn to go.

Shelby nodded to Connie before she left the room, walking with Kat and Jessica to the stairs. Kat wanted to see the reaction that Shelby got when she met Alex and Auggie at the bottom step. Scott was standing a few feet from the stairs, waiting patiently for Brittany, or so they guessed. But with Shelby's gown, Kat guessed that all thoughts of Brittany would soon be forgotten when he saw her with Alex. Jess kissed her sister's cheek and wished her good luck on her way down the large staircase. They had been making jokes all day about how someone was going to break their necks falling.

Unlike the other girls, no one was allowed to see Shelby's gown until it was on her, and Daisy had no clue about what to expect from where she stood at the table that the group chose to meet at once everyone had made it downstairs. She was trying not to stare at the stairs in anticipation. Giving her hair one good shake to make sure the hairspray still held, Shelby took an uneasy step toward the railing. "Give me strength." She whispered to the ceiling. She could just hear Patty laughing at her as her eyes caught Alex's at the bottom. Kat patted her on the back before she took her first step down. "Show time." 

Alex held his breath as Auggie and Scott turned their attention to the beautiful girl that was making her way down the stairs now. At first they didn't recognize her because of their first glance. She stood dressed in a gown of deep maroon that reminded Auggie of blood. He found himself fascinated by the light rebellious curls that hung over her shoulders, held out of her face by a simple, if somewhat out-of-date, headband. Somehow it seemed that her curls were waiting to spring free. Her figure was flawless and Auggie found himself imagining holding her all night. Then his gaze was captured by the blue flecks of her sparkling eyes, like two great gems shining across the room. His dark eyes widened in astonishment as he realized whom the woman was. 

Shelby walked down the grand staircase in the ballroom of the hotel. She had been amazed at how the decorations that Jess and Juliet created for the lodge fit so perfectly in the ballroom. The fact that Alex put this together in a little more than a day was astonishing as well. Then she allowed her gaze to fall upon Auggie and Alex at the foot of the stairs once more, and her heart threatened to explode out of her chest. She should kill Daisy and Juliet for showing her the dress, even if they didn't know that she would buy it. She thought it was beautiful when it was in the shop, but it was too low cut in the front for her taste. She wore it proudly though, stopping at the middle of the staircase so a photographer could take a picture of her alone. When she reached the bottom step she felt her body shutter a little. She had made it this far by herself, but there was still the mind-numbing question: What was she supposed to say to them?

"Juliet should be down in a minute." She said lamely, not bothering to look at Alex. She didn't need to see his eyes to know what he was thinking. She smiled as she realized that Auggie hadn't said a word to her. "You okay over there, Auggusto?" She threw him a sideways glance and he laughed nervously. He didn't know what he was expected to say now that he actually looked at her as what she was. A woman. She wasn't the Ice Queen anymore. She was Shelby Elizabeth Merrick, and there was no mistaking the look in her eyes was a hunger for what she knew she was able to accomplish with the help of Alex. 

Alex smiled and held out his arm. Shelby took it gracefully, acting like a movie star at a Hollywood party. Even Alex wasn't allowed to see her dress until she wore it down the stairs. He could never tell her how much he loved her. How much he wished she would allow him to take her away from the life that she was living now. He could give her the life that she deserved. If only she would let him. "You look..." His voice caught in his throat as she looked down for a brief moment. "Amazing doesn't even come close." He pulled her left hand up to his lips and kissed it gently as they passed Scott.

As if on cue, Scott stepped in front of them and smiled to Shelby. "You look great." He said awkwardly, mentally kicking himself for bringing Brittany to the Morp. Desire had reawakened in him as he had watched her float down the stairs, and he knew that he had to possess this goddess again. Mentally, he chastised himself for seeing her as an object. The highlights in her hair caught his attention, and he stared into her eyes longingly, trying to tell her without words how much he needed her. Shelby returned his gaze with her chin raised, without a glimpse of love that he knew she was capable of showing. She took two steps away from him and he felt his desire for her flare up again. There was no way he was going to make it through this Morp without touching her. The velvet clung to her hips like a second skin as she walked away from him, not looking back, and he longed to run his hand over the smooth material, to feel the curves beneath it.

As he watched her go, Auggie suddenly appeared at Scott's side. "You know she is only doing this to you because of Brit?" Auggie asked plainly. Watching the sway of Shelby's hips as she hugged Ezra. Everyone in the room could tell that this was just killing Scott. Then suddenly Brittany appeared behind him and Auggie saw Scott's entire body stiffen. He didn't want to be there with her after he saw everything that Alex could give Shelby. Auggie patted Scott on the back before he walked over to the staircase once more. Taking a drink off of one of the waiter's trays, he stared at the painting on the wall behind the raised dais that the girls had entered from. There he waited for the love of his life.

Juliet revolved slowly before the full-length mirror in the room that she and Jess shared that was part of the hideously large hotel suite that Alex had gotten for the Cliffhanger girls. Jessica sat at the foot of a big four-poster bed in the middle, her blue eyes large and solemn with admiration. Peter was on the far side of the room, arms crossed, looking more like a middle-aged father than a 'know no fear' Horizon counselor. 

"I wish Shelby could have found a dress like that for me to wear to the Morp," she said as her eyes roamed the fabric of her own gown. It was a pure sweep of burgundy satin, gathered tight at the waist and pouring into folds from the hips. Her light gold hair hung loose down her back. Everyone told her she looked beautiful in the gown, but the make of Juliet's was exquisite. 

"I like you best as the cute little princess." Juliet smiled at the younger girl, dropping a kiss just below the hairline. Then she turned to face Connie, who stood by the door that lead to the main room of the suite, needle and thread ready for any last minute adjustments to the girls' gowns. "It'sperfect," she said warmly. "We don't have to change a thing." The girl in the mirror in front of her could have stepped out of one of Juliet's books on the Italian Renaissance. Her throat and shoulders were bare, and the tight bodice of the ice-blue dress showed off her tiny waist. The long, full sleeves were slashed so that the white silk of her chemise underneath showed through, and the wide, sweeping skirt just brushed the floor all around her. It was a delicately beautiful dress that she was sure her mother would have approved of. The pale, almost clear blue accented her dark eyes perfectly.

She finally turned to face Kat, who was standing behind Connie, attempting to put a necklace on her neck without asking for help. "You ready to go?" She asked Juliet softly. Juliet nodded and Kat took her hand and led her to the door. "Three beautiful sisters." Kat smiled and slid into the slippers that they were all sharing. The pair walked slowly to the staircase and Kat felt Juliet stiffen when she turned the corner and looked at the ballroom. 

"Beautiful." She choked and Kat gave her hand a squeeze. "I guess now is as good of a time than any." Her voice shook more than she wanted it to and she took her first step. "I'm going to-"

"You mention anything about throwing up and I will have Shelby kick you're as in those six inch heels she's got on." Kat interrupted her without a second thought. "Now get down there and kiss you're boy." Without another word, Kat gave Juliet a quick push and she stumbled forward onto the first step

Looking down at the table where everyone had agreed to meet, Juliet saw Shelby smiling at her. _You can do this_. She told herself as calmly as she could. Kat had already retreated back to the room, and now she was left all to walk down the stairs by herself. She felt like kicking herself because she had the choice to walk down with Jessica and she didn't take it. Shelby stood and began to walk to the stairs and Juliet had enough courage to walk down the stairs and pose for her picture alone. Then she saw Auggie…

Auggie held his hand out for Juliet as she came off of the last step. He quickly pulled her into him and kissed her lightly on the lips. "The hard part is over." He said softly, and they both laughed. He led her over to the table and Shelby stood and gave her a quick hug. "I'd like you all to meet Cinderella." Auggie joked as Juliet hit him lightly in the arm. Juliet suddenly felt better. As her friends joked about the ballroom and Peter's quest to have someone crowned Morp King and Queen, Juliet realized that she didn't need to visit her mother to go home. She was already there. 

*Okay, it's time to cast your vote for Morp King and Queen. E-Mail you're votes to [Darlasfriend@aol.com][1]. Any votes posted with Reviews will not be counted. (Simply put _MORP _as the subject)

*I'm in desperate need of a beta reader, (one who is willing to preview my work before I even think about posting it). If you're interested, e-mail me at [Darlasfriend@aol.com][1]

   [1]: mailto:Darlasfriend@aol.com



	10. "Cheers"

You know, I don't know what it is

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father.~   
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~**__**

~I've decided that if you want a song list, you're going to have to e-mail me for it, seeing as though I can never seen to remember to put it up with my stories.

Memories are still in Italics, with * before and after them

Thanks to Superhoop3 for agreeing to be my beta. So far so good. Lol

"The eyes are the window to ones soul." ~Unknown.

**_ _**

**_You know, I don't know what it is_**

**But everything about you is so irresistible******

The music was blaring throughout the ballroom, leaving little room for conversation unless you wanted to take it outside. Shelby had been sitting down for most of the night, and Auggie decided to do something about it. He whispered something in Juliet's ear and then stood and wandered over to Shelby's side of the table. 

Shelby had been talking to Brittany for the last ten minutes, and she felt as if she were going to scream. Brittany seemed to be able to talk about nothing but Scott for the entire conversation, and Shelby was sick of it. So when she saw Auggie walking to her, she excused herself quickly, grabbed his arm, and pulled him out to the dance floor. "No talking, dance." She commanded lightly.

**_Don't you try and tell me that he's not my type_**

**_To idle what I feel inside_**

**_When he makes me weak with desire_**

As her body twisted in Auggie's arms, Shelby just let her mind go. Her eyes locked with Auggie's, and for a moment, it was as if nothing had changed from the time they had first met. She was still as hot and heavy, and he was more willing to help calm her urges. 

I know that I'm supposed to make him wait

**_Let him think I like the chase_**

**_But I can't stop fanning the fire_**

**_I know I'm meant to say NO_**

Juliet just sat there. She wasn't sure what she should do. Auggie had assured her that he was only asking Shelby to dance because he was worried about her, but his actions out on the dance floor hint otherwise. She turned to look at Scott, whose eyes were also staring at the pair on the floor and smiled. "Hey Scott?" She asked softly, watching him turn and look at her. "You wanna dance?"

Scott nodded and Juliet stood and followed him. They stopped right next to Shelby and Auggie, who were laughing at some stupid thing David had done. 

When Auggie's eyes made contact with Juliet's, he looked over at Shelby. She nodded, and let go of Auggie to grab a hold of Scott's jacket. "Prove to me you can move, Cowboy." She said jokingly, as she leaned into him. 

**_But he's irresistible_**

**_Up close and personal_**

**_Now inescapable_**

**_I can hardly breathe,_**

**_More than just physical_**

**_Deeper than spiritual_**

**_His ways are powerful_**

**_And irresistible to me_**

Scott closed his eyes and allowed Shelby to move him to the music. He was acutely aware of how close she was to him, as well as the fact that her body was bumping into him at all the right times. Slowly, he placed his hands on her hips and watched her look up at him in surprise. Her surprise quickly turned to pleasure as she scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. 

"Peter's gonna kill us" Scott whispered into Shelby's ear as she turned to look at the Cliffhangers that remained at the table. He heard her laugh and she ran a hand through her tasseled hair. 

"You think?" She asked him sweetly. 

"I know." Scott answered. He opened his mouth to say something when she smiled and reached up to place her forefinger on his lips. 

"Less talk, more dancing." She giggled and pulled his body against hers. _Go for it!_ Her mind screamed and she placed a soft kiss on his neck as they moved to the music.

**_Don't you think I'm trying to tell my heart what's right?_**

**_That I should really say goodnight_**

**_But I just can't stop myself falling_**

"You'd think that we weren't happy for our friends." Ezra reached over and patted Daisy's thigh. They hadn't said a thing since Auggie and Scott switched partners. 

"That's because we know that it won't last." Her voice was as soft as it could get to still be heard. "We know that as soon as Scott goes back to Brittany, everything will go back to the ways it was." Pale lips sipped off of the straw and then curved into a frown. "And it sucks."

"But that's how it's supposed to be." Ezra answered her sweetly. "Would you care to dance?" He asked her, fearing the answer would be no. 

"Just as long as you know you're not irresistible." Daisy joked, pulling him out onto the floor.

**_Maybe I'll tell him that I feel the same_**

**_That I don't want to play his game_**

**_Cause when I feel his arms wrapped around me_**

**_I know meant to say NO_**

Alex couldn't believe the scene in front of him. The way Scott and Shelby were dancing didn't hint to them being separated. Deciding to put a stop to it, he walked over to the table and tapped Brittany on the arm. She looked up at him and smiled brightly. "Yes?"

"Is there anywhere we could talk?" He asked over the drone of the music. Brittany stood and walked out onto the large parapet that was to one side of the hotel, overlooking the water of a large lake. The music was a little quieter out there. 

"Yes?" She asked again. She enjoyed being around Alex. Something about the way he ran things just appealed to her.

Alex reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two cigarettes. He offered one to Brittany, who took it and waited for a light. "I have a proposition for you." He said simply. "And what is in it for you outweighs what you'll have to do to get it." 

**_But He's Irresistible _**

**_Up close and personal_**

**_Now inescapable_**

**_I can hardly breathe _**

**_More than just physical_**

**_Deeper than spiritual_**

**_His ways are powerful_**

**_Irresistible to me_**

**__**"Where'd Alex and Brittany go?" Daisy asked Shelby when they found each other on the dance floor. 

"I'm not sure." Shelby thought for a minute. "Maybe Alex wanted a cigarette-"

Daisy didn't look convinced. "So he took Scott's date with him?" She threw a glance over at Scott "I think there's something there that you guys don't see."

"And I think you're looking too far into this." Shelby snapped and turned back to dance between Scott and Ezra.

Ezra smiled down at the blonde that had just positioned herself in front of him. Her face was flushed, and the way her hair was throwing itself around it looked like she had just spent an hour or so making out rather than dancing with her friends. "What would you do to me if I told you that I think Daisy's right?" He asked her as she pulled away.

"Don't do this to me EZ." She ran her hands up her arms and through her hair. Unless you were standing there next to her you'd think she was just singing the lyrics of the song. "You're supposed to be my friend."

"I am," he started as she took a few more steps toward Scott. "Shell-"

"Forget it Ezra." Shelby closed her eyes and swayed to the music, allowing any thought that pertained to Alex just slide off of her body. She didn't need to suspect anyone of anything tonight. She just needed to relax. 

**_Can't you see whenever he's close to me?_**

**_I really find it hard to breathe_**

**_He's so irresistible_**

Alex lit up another cigarette for Brittany and leaned against the railing. "So you'll do it?" He asked her for the second time. He didn't like doing things like this, but he was used to doing what he had to, to get what he wanted. And he wanted Shelby.

"For the kind of money you're offering me?" Brittany said assertively, "I'd do that and more." She turned and watched the pair on the dance floor and forced herself to turn around. "But this isn't going to be easy." She reminded him. "A lot of people are going to get hurt."

"I can deal with that as long as Shelby's in my arms by the end of the night." 

"You're doing a lot to get this girl," Brittany started to say. "Is she worth it? 'Cause from what I've been able to get from the counselors and other kids at Horizon, Shelby's not something like you and I are used to."

"Listen, I'm not going to give you money to tell me what kind of girl I can handle." Alex's temper flared, and Brittany had seen a new guy in the one that was with Shelby. "You get the five thou, when I walk up to my room with Shelby on my arm. You keep talking, and don't think for a second I won't reconsider this deal." He took the last drag off of his cigarette and stormed off of the deck. Taking one last look at Brittany, he headed out onto the dance floor.

**_Baby you know it's more than just spiritual_**

**_His kisses are powerful_**

**_He's So Irresistible_**

Brittany patted her hair one more time before heading out onto the dance floor. "Show time." She said to herself lightly. This kind of thing came easy to her. After years of helping football players 'alleviate' their stress, Scott Barringer would be no problem as far as she was concerned. 

As she passed Alex, her stomach muscles tightened. She didn't know what to make of him. One minute he's nice and agreeable, the next he's threatening her if she doesn't comply with what he wants. For some odd reason she felt guilty for what she was about to do. 

She applied some lips gloss and rubbed her lips together. Preparing her mind for what her friends laughingly referred to as 'battle.'As she neared the dance floor, she caught a hold of David and smiled. He was dancing by himself, which made him her target to get close enough to what she wanted. She watched the group for a moment, slowly backing into David. She lifted her hands over her head and swayed. Someone bumped into her and she didn't bother to turn around to see who it was. 

David slid his hands onto Brittany's hips and smiled to himself. Maybe she knew who it was, then again; maybe she thought he was Scott. He didn't really care at the moment, seeing as though his date was on the other side of the room, getting herself punch. He eyed Daisy and Ezra uneasily and pulled Brittany into him. 

**_But he's irresistible _**

**_Up close and personal _**

**_Now inescapable I can hardly breathe_**

**_More than just physical _**

**_Deeper than Spiritual_**

**_His ways are powerful_**

**_Irresistible to me…_**

The song stopped and everyone walked back to the table together. Just as they all sat down, dinner was served. The group ate a three-course meal of Caesar salad, the girls had tortellini, the guys had steak and they all ate a hideously huge helping of death by chocolate. Alex, Shelby and Brittany all had a little bit of wine, and the rest of them had sparkling cider. David kept making comments on how if Alex slipped the rest of them wine, Peter wouldn't be able to tell. 

"Pass the salt." Daisy said softly as another Jessica Simpson played in the background. Ezra reached over Shelby's plate to retrieve the salt, and Shelby popped his arm with the backside of her fork. 

"Careful there Ezra," Shelby warned him as she waved her fork again. "You don't want to draw back a nub do you?" The table laughed and Shelby held up her French bread. "Does anyone want my bread?" 

Half a dozen hands went up, and Shelby chose to hand her bread to Juliet, who just nodded her thanks. "We normally talk about something meaningful at dinner." Auggie started, looking around at his friends. "And I think I'll start the conversation off by proposing a toast." He raised his glass, and stood. "To Horizon, the place that showed us that even freaks can be on higher ground." 

There was a series of glass clinking and soft "here here's," and Scott stood. "Let if not be said that I didn't follow Auggie's lead from time to time." Daisy coughed, and Shelby just started laughing. "I'd say to friendships, but we're all beyond that." He threw a glance over at Shelby and smiled slightly, a gesture that wasn't lost on Alex. "So I'm going to go one up on that. To my family, the one that knows me better than I even know myself."

Ezra stood just as Scott sat down and nodded. "All the good toast are taken, but I'll give it a shot anyway." He looked over at Shelby, then to Daisy. "Mine is to love. Without which we couldn't have survived all these months at Horizon." He laughed as the glasses clinked, and sat down. Everyone looked at him. "What, no one else wants to add a toast?"

"I will." Shelby said smoothly, as the next song started to play. 

**_When I lost faith_**

**_You believed in me_**

**_When I stumbled_**

**_You were right there_**

**_For every act of love you've done_**

**_I owe you one_**

All eyes were on Shelby as she held up her wine glass. "Horizon, family, love…" She nodded to Auggie, Scott and Ezra in turn as she mentioned their toast. "All good things to be thankful for. I'm surprised that it was the guys that thought of them." She laughed, and then her mood got very serious. "But what good is all of those things if you're not alive to enjoy it." Wiping a tear from her eye, she smiled at Jessica. "To life. Something that I kind of forgot mattered along the way." 

Daisy rose quietly, taking a sip of the water that was near her sparkling cider. She wasn't sure what she was going to toast to, but she was damn sure that it was going to be a good one. Looking over her audience it hit her. "To the pain that brought us here." She watched as everyone suddenly became confused. "If it wasn't for our fucked up parents and shitty situations, we wouldn't be sitting here together right now." She explained as everyone raised his or her glasses.

**_There were hard times_**

**_I know I survived_**

**_Just because you stayed by my side_**

**_With all I have, with all I am_**

**_I promise you all my life_**

"No regrets." Jessica said loudly, raising her glass and eyeing Scott and Shelby nervously. She wasn't quite sure where they stood now, and that made it more difficult on her. It was really easy to say the wrong thing when she wasn't sure what to say. A waiter came over to the table and refilled the glasses. Taking a sip of hers, Jess smiled again. 

"And may we all be successful in the future, at whatever we may do." Kat couldn't help but join in to the toasting. She couldn't be happier at how the night had turned out. 

**_Whenever the road is too long_**

**_Whenever the wind is too strong_**

**_Wherever the journey may lead to_**

**_I will be there for you_**

**_I will be there for you_**

Juliet raised her glass and scooted closer to Auggie. "To laughter and tears," she started, making sure to make eye contact with everyone at the table. "Joys and fears," she reached her available hand to hold onto Auggie's. "Loves and disgusts." She smiled and leaned into the table to clank her glass with Shelby's. "To the makings of a damn good group of friends." 

A look of shock spread across Shelby's face when she realized that Juliet had cussed. "To Queenie!" She said after a moment. "Who finally realized that you can be good and be bad at the same time." The group laughed and Juliet sat back down.

**_Through sorrow_**

**_Or the darkest night_**

**_When there's heartache_**

**_Deep down inside_**

**_Just like a prayer, you will be there_**

**_And I promise you all my life_**

"Lets see?" Alex started simply, standing up to make what he said heard easier. "We've heard family, life, love, joy and pain." He nodded to everyone who had made those toasts in turn. "But has anyone here forgot the pleasures of life?" It only took a moment for the table to realize what he had just said. "To the simple pleasures that we've all found along the way." 

**_Whenever the road is too long_**

**_Whenever the wind is too strong_**

**_Wherever the journey may lead to_**

**_I will be there for you_**

**_I will be there for you_**

David laughed and raised his glass for the umpteenth time. He patted Jessica's hand and she giggled. After the table got quiet again, he stood. "I would like to say something." He started as goofy as possible, getting a few giggles out of Juliet and Jessica. Then his face went straight and he smiled seriously. "I had no life, no family, and definitely no direction before I came to Horizon." He closed his eyes and pictured the way he was when he first showed up. "I was without a doubt, the biggest ass on the planet for at least-three weeks-"

"Longer than that!" Auggie laughed from his side of the table. David only acknowledged him with a nod.

"I stand corrected." He pointed to Auggie after a moment. "The point I'm trying to make is just that after time, you guys allowed me to enter into the world that was the Cliffhangers. And for once, I was accepted." He held his glass up higher as he spoke his last few words. "I guess I'm trying to toast to us. The way we are, was, and ever shall be." There were a few claps and smiles, and Juliet wiped her eyes discretely. "Thank you."

**_Whenever the road is too long_**

**_Whenever the wind is too strong_**

**_Wherever the journey may lead to_**

**_I will be there for you_**

**_I will be there for you_**

I'll always be there 

It was as if the room stood still for at least one moment, when the photographer came around to the Cliffhanger table. Everyone crowded to David's side of the table, and raised their glasses. It was picture perfect, and the smiles on everyone's faces didn't hurt either. The night was a success, and for at least a few minutes, everything was right in the world.

Remember, Reviews are the nicest way to get me to post sooner. And you still have time to submit you're vote for Morp King and Queen. So far, S&S fans should be ashamed of themselves, (lol) One of the two are winning, but the other is a few points behind. (Send you're votes to [Darlasfriend@aol.com][1] subject: MORP)

Illusia

   [1]: mailto:Darlasfriend@aol.com



	11. And the Winner Is...

Morp

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father. I also made up a few people in the middle of this story, you'll see why.~   
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~**__**

~I've decided that if you want a song list, you're going to have to e-mail me for it, seeing as though I can never seen to remember to put it up with my stories.

Memories are still in Italics, with * before and after them

This part goes out to my lil' sis, who got on last night and completely re-wrote one of the scenes. I still love ya Britt.~Illusia

"The eyes are the window to ones soul." ~Unknown.

Peter and Sophie watched from the sidelines, as their kids stood up together, and all headed out to the dance floor. This time, David had his arms wrapped around Daisy, who didn't seem to be complaining too much, Brittany was having too much fun with her arms securely around Scott, who kept looking over his shoulder every few minutes to look at Shelby, who was dancing with Auggie, and getting a little too cozy together again. Jessica was laughing at Ezra, who was talking more than dancing, and Juliet and Alex were he last couple on the floor. Kat had opted to let her food settle before getting on the floor, so she sat in Shelby's seat, facing the dance floor. 

"These kids deserve this." Sophie laughed, as Ezra dipped Jessica in order to get a laugh out of her.

"It's been too long since these kids have been able to be normal high school seniors." Peter agreed, but something on the dance floor didn't seem right to him. Alex kept making eye contact with Brittany. "Do you think something's going on between them?" Peter asked in his usual 'I'm worried about everyone' tone.

"Between who?" Sophie turned to look at her husband. "Peter, there are ten kids out on the floor?"

"Brittany and Alex." He watched as Sophie turned and studied the group. "Scott seems a little pre-occupied out there, Brittany could be trying to make him jealous." Peter tried to rationalize for himself. It wasn't working. 

"Or Alex and Britt could have talked about something, and Brittany's worried that Alex will tell someone." Sophie offered helpfully. She didn't like the thought that there were outsiders over there with her kids. The whole thought of them made her examine everything more carefully. "Or Alex is the worried one." She supplied. 

"He does seem rather tense." Kat walked up to them and watched as they both looked at her in shock. "I think Alex is trying to ensure that Shelby's his, and Brittany's part of the plan." Her voice sounded older then her nineteen years. "Then again, I'm just a kid."

You could be right." Peter put an arm around Kat's shoulders, and hugged her to him. "You could be right."

**_It's either black or white, that's right_**

**_We're making love or in a fight_**

Sometimes you make me so blue 

**_But then it feels so good, I knew it would_**

**_You know the way to make me crazy_**

**_I want to give it to you_**

Shelby looked over at Ezra and Jessica and smiled. It's been too long since she's seen her sister this happy. Jess deserved it. Ezra turned slightly, and his gaze locked Shelby's. "Looks like you're in a galaxy far, far away from making any extraterrestrial travel arrangements." Shelby commented offhandedly, as she reached out, and pulled Ezra away from Jess. Jessica took the hint, and grabbed Auggie to dance with instead. 

"You remember?" Ezra's eyes were wide when he spoke. 

"Of course." Shelby smiled and allowed him to wrap his arms around her from behind. "It's not everyday I kiss you." She laughed.

"So," Ezra tried to keep his voice level as he turned her around. "Who makes you so emotional?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Shelby laughed again, and he remembered what was so beautiful about Shelby.

*Shelby wandered into the kitchen, looking for what she hoped wouldn't be Era's dead body on the floor of the kitchen. "Ezra? Ezra?" She leaned over the counter and watched as he stared at David's zip-lock baggie full of pills. Shelby could only guess that they were barbs. "Guess I missed the party favors." She said offhandedly as she moved around to look at him.

"Wanna go for a ride?" His voice was deep, and sorrowful. He held up the bag for her to look at.

Shelby moved closer to him and smiled. "Man do I ever," then she turned and looked away from the bag. "But I don't."

"Yea." Ezra agreed slightly. He didn't know why he hadn't just taken the whole bag when he knew no one would find him until it was too late. "I could've been buzzing Mars by now. I don't know what stopped me. Self control is not one of my strong points." He looked up from the bag to see Shelby's saddened beautiful face staring at him.

"Daisy?" She offered helpfully, the look in her eyes was just shouting 'don't do it Ezra.'

Ezra nodded in silent conformation. "She already told me nothings going to happen between us. " He whispered as if he were reminding himself. If felt bad to be repeating the words that Daisy had said to him that night in the janitors shed. "Just friends."

"They tell me its good to have a friend."

"Then how come I feel like the only thing she sees in him, is that he's not **me**?" His gaze challenged her to tell him that wasn't true. That she had heard Daisy tell Juliet or Kat that she secretly loved him. He shook his head at the way that she just stood there, watching him. He wasn't sure what to do now.

"I don't think that's true." Shelby said after a while. Then she closed her eyes, and dropped her voice to just above a whisper, as if she was telling him some big secret. "When Scott's mother was here she told him something that he told me. An ancient Greek guy said it a long time ago." Shelby reached out for Ezra's hand, and then withdrew it as she realized what she was doing. "Friends are two people sharing one soul. Its not that often you find a good friend."

Ezra turned abruptly and dumped the entire bag into the sink. Then he ran the waterto get rid of the evidence. "And goodbye to my extraterrestrial travel arrangements." He said as he threw the baggie in the garbage can.

Shelby smiled and took his hand so they could go back to the party. "Life sucks doesn't it?" She asked him in a small voice.

Ezra nodded in agreement. "Only during the waking hours." That's when Shelby did something that surprised them both. She kissed him. Not a mind blowing, earth shattering kiss, but a chaste, I understand kiss,, that made Ezra remember that Shelby had a heart in her somewhere. "How'd you know I needed that?" He asked as Peter Showed up and told them to get outside. He never got Shelby's reply, and he'd always been too scared to ask after that day.*

**_You make me feel so emotional_**

**_I can't let go I'm so emotional_**

**_I'm sinking fast into an ocean full of you_**

**_I'm so emotional_**

"Penny for your thoughts?" David asked in that annoyingly sweet voice he always had around Daisy. She looked up, as if snapped from a trance and looked at him. "You okay Daze?"

"Yeah." She said after a minute. She closed her eyes and searched her mind for a plausible excuse as to why she's been out of it lately. "Just the excitement of tonight." She lied straight-faced. "I'm just trying to get used to it all." She turned and looked over at Ezra and Shelby, hoping David couldn't see what was behind her eyes. 

David felt as if there was something missing, but he didn't press it. Instead, he reached over and pulled Jessica out of Auggie's arms. "Switch," he laughed softly, as Daisy slid easily into Jessica's place. "So kiddo." He said to Jessica, "How are you handling this party?"

**_You make me high and low, you know_**

**_I'm never sure which way you're gonna go_**

**_You're such a mystery to me_**

**_But baby hot or cold you got a hold_**

**_Of my imagination_**

**_I think you know what I mean_**

Scott followed David's lead and reached over to grab Shelby from Ezra. Ezra reached out and held onto Brittany, as Shelby adjusted her body in Scott's arms. "Thanks for the warning." She said sarcastically, looking up into his eyes for what seemed like the thousandth time that night.

"I didn't think you needed one." He flashed her a smile that made her melt, and she held onto his shoulders so she wouldn't fall over. "Problems?" He asked her gently.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about." She shot back. She could play his little game. She could pretend that being in his arms had no affect on her whatsoever. She was lying through her teeth, and they both knew it, but she could play the game. "Why'd you give up Brittany?" She asked offhandedly.

"For no reason you need to be concerned about." He smiled as he repeated her words. This was a game he had missed. 

**_You make me feel so emotional_**

**_I can't let go I'm so emotional_**

**_I'm sinking fast into an ocean full of you_**

**_I'm so emotional_**

It only took a second, for Alex to trade Juliet for Brittany. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked her angrily. "I'm paying you to get between them, **not** push them together."

"Relax." Brittany placed a hand on his chest and felt the muscles bunch. She liked having that kind of power over a guy. "I know what I'm doing." She raised her hands over her head, brushing her hair out of her face, and turned to bump Alex with her hip. "Before we tear them apart, we have to let them get closer together." She said so matter-of-factly. "Shelby's gotta believe in what she and Scott once had before she can be removed from his life." 

Alex grabbed one of her wrists and brought her closer to him. "This better work." He snapped as he allowed her hands to work their magic on his body. 

**_Rain is falling down on me_**

**_Suddenly the sun comes out_**

**_Sometimes north or south of love_**

**_But I'm never out_**

"Something's definitely wrong." Kat pointed over to where Brittany and Alex were talking. If talking was the word you could use. It looked more like Brittany was trying to reassure him of something. "I don't like the way this is going."

Sophie had gone to the restroom, and Peter and Kat had decided to continue the conversation about how suspicious Brittany and Alex had been acting lately. "You think Alex is trying to break up Scott and Shelby?" Peter thought about that sentence. "Whatever they might have?"

"And he's offered Britt something to do if for him." Kat agreed lightly, as if it wasn't anything new to her. "I think Alex wants Shelby for himself, despite what he may say in front of he about 'wanting what's best." Kat threw a glance over Peter's shoulder and smiled sweetly at Sophie as she walked back up. "But I've already had a slice of cake." She told Peter mockingly, as if she was trying to cover up their conversation.

**_You make me feel so emotional_**

**_I can't let go I'm so emotional_**

**_I'm sinking fast into an ocean full of you_**

**_I'm so emotional_**

Alex grabbed Shelby out of Scott's arms and pulled her to him. "When do I get to dance with you?" He asked her, pretending to pout. She giggled, and Alex threw a look at Brittany. 

"Later," Shelby wiggled out of Alex's grasp and headed back to the table to rejoin Kat. 

Alex was about to say something, when Peter stepped up onto the stage with the DJ. "May I have everyone's attention please?" He said calmly into the microphone. After a minute everyone turned to face him. "Can everyone have a seat for a few moments?" He watched as everyone moved to their tables by group. He couldn't help but throw a glance at the Cliffhanger table, where his favorite group sat staring at him. "Okay," he said after a few minutes. "It's time to announce Senior Class Awards." The DJ played a funky little tune, and everyone laughed, as Sophie and Roger pushed the cart of awards out onto the stage. "We're gonna start with the obvious choice for a Horizon High award." He held up the envelope, and half of the class was laughing before he even read it. "Most likely to be imprisoned." He read mockingly. 

"Now we need not remind you," Roger stepped up to the mike. "That we never said what they would be imprisoned for." Everyone laughed again and Sophie ripped into the envelope. "And the winners are-"

"David Ruxton of the Cliffhangers!" Sophie shouted into the mike. The Cliffhanger table laughed as David jumped up and headed to the stage. As he climbed the stairs, Sophie smiled. "And also from the Cliffhangers, Shelby Merrick!" 

Shelby was laughing the hardest as she stood and made her way over to the stage. David had his award in hand as she gave him a hug. "This is the closest you're ever getting to famous." She said bluntly at David once she got closer to the mike. "Thank you, and very funny guys." She pointed at the table where Daisy was wiping her eyes from laughing so hard. 

David took the mike and flashed a smile at the photographer. "I'm the king of the world!" He shouted, and as he spread his arms out, Shelby pushed him off of the stage. He recovered though, saving both himself, and the plaque that he had been given. "I'm okay." He laughed as they headed back to the table. "Beat that James Cameron." He whispered to Ezra, holding his award.

Ezra shuttered as Daisy placed a hand on his leg. "You will." She said softly, looking deep into his eyes. "You will."

"Now we have Most Likely To Be Famous." Peter held up the envelope, as Roger leaned into the mike again.

"Once again, I'd like to remind you that we never said what for." Roger took the envelope from Peter and smiled. "Again with the Cliffhangers!" He shouted. "Future Dallas Cowboy, Scott Barringer, and future Steven Spielberg Ezra Freakin-" Roger stopped himself and smiled. "That's Friedkin, and this is the last time we allow Shelby to stuff the ballad box." He watched as Shelby's face lit up.

"Um…thanks." Scott was short on words, as he watched Shelby's face brighten. 

"Yeah, thank all of you, and I hope none of you mind when I make a documentary on Horizon as my first film." Ezra descended the stage when he heard Daisy shout over the clapping

"Only if we get to star in it!"

"Best Smile!" Peter shouted on the stage, and named a Ridge Runner. 

At last Peter was down to two awards. The Cliffhangers didn't think they could stand saying any more speeches. Scott had, along with his first award, gotten _most_ _athletic_, _biggest_ _flirt_, and _best personality_. Daisy had received _best_ _eyes_ and _teacher's_ _worst_ _nightmare_. Shelby got _biggest_ _attitude_ with Auggie, as well as _best_ _smile_ and _most_ _likely_ _to_ _kill_ _some_ _one_ with Daisy. David walked away with the other _teacher's_ _worst_ _nightmare_ as well as _class clown_. Auggie got _class protector_, for his attitude when it came to the Cliffhanger girls, and _most improved_ when it came to class work. Ezra picked up _teacher's pet_ with Juliet, and was also able to snag _easiest to talk to_ with Daisy. Juliet had gotten most of the awards that you can only give to one person. _Best dressed_, _perkiest_, and _nicest_ were all on her list. 

"The next two go together." Peter smiled as Sophie brought over the Morp King and Queen crowns. "Now for Cutest couple, and the announcement of Morp King and Queen." The Cliffhangers clapped and shouted as Peter opened the envelope. Peter looked puzzled for a moment before leaning into the mike. "Can you be considered a couple if you've broken up?" He asked the audience, who threw him a puzzled look. "Scott Barringer and Shelby Merrick!" He shouted excitedly, noticing that everyone got the joke now.

"You guys didn't?" Shelby asked Juliet and Jessica, as Scott was pulling her to her feet. "You're all dead once I get out of these heels." Then she followed Scott to the foot of the stage, where Sophie and Roger placed the crowns on their heads. "I can't believe this." She whispered to Scott as the photographer took their picture.

"Take her for a spin around the dance floor." Peter laughed as the music started. "We picked this one out just for you two."

**_Everybody's got something_**

**_They had to leave behind_**

**_One regret from yesterday_**

**_That just seems to grow with time_**

**_There's no use looking back or wondering_**

**_How it could be now or might have been_**

All this, I know, but still I cant find ways to let you go 

"You ever have the feeling that Peter's trying to tell us something?" Shelby looked into Scott's eyes for a quick second, before turning her head and resting her chin on his shoulder. She wasn't sure whom she should blame for being voted Morp Queen, with Scott as her King. A touch of guilt hit her heart and she smiled sardonically. If she didn't want this to happen the way it did, then why did she vote for herself and Scott in the first place? She laughed to herself and looked over at her friends at the table through slitted eyes.

Scott laughed slightly and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I don't think Peter's the only one responsible for us being here." Scott turned Shelby to where they were both facing the Cliffhanger table. "I think they're all trying to get us back to the way we were." 

Her weight shifted slightly, as she looked up at him. His features were more defined in the hazy light. "Can't say I blame them much." She laughed at the way he smiled down at her. "We were happier then." Her eyes glazed slightly, and she forced herself to look away from him. She wasn't sure why she had said that. Then again…

"Yeah," Scott agreed gently, as if he sensed what she was thinking.

**_I never had a dream come true_**

**_Till the day that I found you_**

**_Even though, I pretend that I've moved on_**

**_You'll always be my baby_**

**_I've never found the words to say_**

**_You're the one I think about each day_**

**_And I know no matter where love takes me to_**

**_A part of me will always be with you_**

"So what exactly **is** Brittany to you now?" Shelby asked as if it was normal conversation they were having out in the middle of the dance floor.

"What's Alex to you?" Scott countered, and Shelby nodded.

"Fair enough." She whispered. "He's everything you're not." She started simply, not liking the look on Scott's face. "He's safe, and predictable, and I know that he wants me for all the wrong reasons." Her eyes softened, and she smiled up at Scott. "He remembers me as I was, not who I'm trying to be."

"Funny how Britt matches that same description." Scott smiled back down at her and then a simple thought raced into his mind. "You wanna make Peter nervous?" He asked her playfully. Shelby nodded, and Scott bent his face to hers. Then, he brushed his lips across hers, sending chills running down her spine.

**_Somewhere in my memory I've lost all sense of time_**

**_And tomorrow could never be_**

**_Cause yesterday is all that fills my mind_**

**_There's no use looking back or wondering_**

**_How it should be now or might have been_**

**_All this, I know, but still I cant find ways to let you go_**

Alex readjusted himself in his seat. "I don't like this." He whispered to Brittany, who just smiled and nodded. His mind was reeling from the thought of Scott's lips on Shelby's. He stood and stormed out of the room. Unaware that Britt was hot on his heals. When he stopped right outside the room he turned to face her."Once they get off the dance floor, make your move." He commanded gently.

"Of course." She smiled an evil smile and turned to go back into the room.

Alex grabbed her arm at the last minute and turned her to face him. "I hope you know what you're doing." He gave her a quick push into the room by her arm. 

**_I never had a dream come true_**

**_Till the day that I found you_**

**_Even though, I pretend that I've moved on_**

**_You'll always be my baby_**

**_I've never found the words to say_**

**_You're the one I think about each day_**

**_And I know no matter where love takes me to_**

**_A part of me will always be_**

As she hummed along to the song, Daisy watched her best friend out on the dance floor. Shelby seemed so natural in Scott's arms. It was almost as if she was created to be in love with him. Daisy felt a slight twinge of jealousy sweep over her, and she quickly brushed it away. She wasn't supposed to be jealous of love. She wasn't supposed to want someone else had. She was the loner, and she'd always been. Closing her eyes, Daisy couldn't help but wonder if there was something out there that she was supposed to find.

Ezra watched the woman to his left for a few minutes. He was never quite sure what Daisy was thinking. It was possible that she was wondering the same thing he was. That somewhere in this world, there was the right one for him. Time and time again, Ezra had thought that Daisy was to be his match. Then something would happen, and he would find himself face to face with the reality that all they were were good friends. 

"You wanna talk about it?" Ezra asked Daisy quietly, after he noticed that she shut out a look of pain in her eyes with a long blink. 

"Not right now." Daisy coughed and leaned into his shoulder.

"Oh." He said softly, not wanting to let the moment go. 

"But when I do," she said some what cheerfully. "I'll come to you."

**_You'll always be the dream that fills my head_**

**_Yes, you will, say you will, you know you will, oh baby_**

**_You'll always be the one I know I'll never forget_**

**_There's no use looking back or wondering_**

**_Because love is a strange and funny thing_**

**_No matter how I try and try I just can't say goodbye_**

Scott turned Shelby around on the floorboards, and she laughed. Then she caught the way that Scott was staring at her, and she suddenly became very self-conscience. The look in his eyes said nothing about just being friends. "What are you thinking?" She asked him softly.

"I can still look at you." His voice was barely audible, but Shelby caught onto the meaning, and leaned into him further. 

_*The sun shone through the clouds, and washed its colorful rays over the bodies of two tired Horizon students. Scott was lying adjacent with a tree, Shelby by his side, lounging on his arm. Neither wanted that moment to end. _

_"They're gonna be looking for us." Scott said thoughtfully, as if he had every intention of getting up and heading back to Horizon at that moment. But his body never moved. _

_Shelby shifted slightly, but didn't sit up. "I don't care." Even her voice sounded exhausted. "I'll shop wood for a year, but I'm not moving."_

_Scott laughed for a second, before getting extremely serious. "I always thought, that if anybody found out about my step mom, about what happened…" He let the sentence weaken and then he remembered that Shelby knew what he was referring to. "I thought that if I ever told anybody, I'd never be able to look at them ever again."_

_Shelby laughed and sat up, her golden hair draping across her face and she brushed it behind her ear. "You can look at me," she told him eagerly. "Can't you?" Her eyes were looking for confirmation that she wasn't used to needing._

_Her hair flopped in front of her face again, and Scott brushed it out of the way. "You're beautiful." He said softly, wanting her to believe him._

_"Yeah, right." Shelby ran a hand through her hair and came up with a fistful of leaves and dirt. "With all this stuff in my hair." She said sarcastically. _

Scott just leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, then another. Then he deepened the kiss and pulled Shelby to him. There was no doubt in his mind that he would be able to look at her, long after this whole mess with Elaine was resolved. *

Shelby smiled as her and Scott came out of the memory at the same time. "Those were the days." She heard Scott say lightly, as if he were some old guy, remembering his lost childhood.

"Yeah," she agreed to herself. "But the road to true love is paved with broken glass." She said without thinking. Then she looked up at Scott.

"Huh?" He said cautiously.

"Daisy told me that a long time ago." She closed her eyes and remembered the day in the kitchen. "I didn't believe her then, but I do now." She nuzzled into his arms and sighed longingly. "I do now."

**_I never had a dream come true_**

**_'Till the day that I found you_**

**_Even though, I pretend that I've moved on_**

**_You'll always be my baby_**

**_I've never found the words to say_**

**_You're the one I think about each day_**

**_And I know no matter where love takes me to_**

**_A part of me will always be with you_**

"Scott and Shelby!" Peter's voice boomed over the speakers. "Morp King and Queen." There were more cheers, as the music slowed to almost a stop. Scott smiled over at Shelby as they faced the crowd once more. "Give them another hand." Peter was clapping so loud you could hear it through the loud speakers. "Enjoy the ball." He said quickly, before cutting the mike off.

Shelby walked over to the table and, just as she reached Alex's arms, threw once last look at Scott.

A part of me will always be with you 


	12. Tears of the Lost

Tears

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father. I also made up a few people in the middle of this story, you'll see why.~   
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~

~I've decided that if you want a song list, you're going to have to e-mail me for it, seeing as though I can never seen to remember to put it up with my stories.

Memories are still in Italics, with * before and after them

*This part goes out to both my 'lil sis Britt (without whom I'd never have such a bitch of a character), and my Beta Alison (I think I spelled that right, lol) who keeps buggin' my sorry butt so I at least get one out a week. Couldn't do it without you guys.

"The eyes are the window to ones soul." ~Unknown.

Her hips started swaying long before she grabbed Scott's arm and pulled him back onto the dance floor. Brittany was on a mission, and she didn't like being made a fool of. Scott Barringer would be hers by the end of the night, or she'd give up chasing guys for…_at least a couple of weeks_. She reasoned with herself. Besides, she wasn't going to fail with this amount of money on the table. 

Scott didn't know what to make of Brittany's new attitude. The only thing he could reason was that she was jealous of how close he and Shelby were. But that couldn't be it. The Britt Woods he knew didn't get jealous that easily. He closed his eyes and pictured Shelby, as Brittany adjusted his hands on her hips. 
    
    **She's a rich girl from the top of the food chain**
    
    **Love and material things, kind of lonely**
    
    **Till I met her at the Grammy's 10mil on a diamond ring**
    
    **She invites me to spend a day on the jet skies**
    
    **At first it didn't mean a thing**
    
    **Then she told me I'm the one that she searched for**
    
    **It was hard to believe.**

Auggie moved closer to Daisy, as Juliet and Shelby went out to the dance floor to dance on their own. He didn't like the look of Britt and Alex together. Something just wasn't right. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked Daisy and Ezra cautiously, wondering if the looks that he saw Britt and Alex give each other were all in his head.

"I think so, Brain." Ezra moved closer to Auggie and smiled. "But if we kidnap the elephant, how will we convince Peter he's just as troubled as the rest of us?" Daisy chortled to herself as Auggie threw Ezra a look. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Auggie nodded and Daisy shook her head. "You feel it too, huh?" She asked him as calmly as she could.

"At first he seemed nice an all," Auggie ran a hand through his hair and glanced at the table, where Jessica and Kat sat on the other end, debating about whether or not they should request a song. They couldn't hear the conversation, and for that Auggie was glad. "But now, the way he looks at her…"

"Shelby can take care of herself." Ezra couldn't believe they were having this conversation. "She's a big girl guys, she knows what she can handle." But he still couldn't shake the feeling that they were right. Something big was going to happen, and it was going to hurt like Hell.
    
    **She's miss California hottest thing in west L.A.**
    
    **House down by the water, sails her yacht across the bay**
    
    **Drives a Marinello, Hollywood's her favorite scene**
    
    **Loves to be surrounded with superstars that know her name.**
    
    Shelby could feel it too. The energy in the room was weighing on her. She kept her cool about it though. Never letting anyone see that something was bothering her. She even smiled when Juliet started dancing on her own. Alex touched her shoulder, and she jumped. It was as if her body was trying to repel him. But she couldn't figure out why.
    
    Scott could sense Shelby tense. He'd always been connected with her like that. _One soul_. He laughed at himself, and watched Brittany move her body up against his. If he were any other guy, he would probably be incredibly turned on by this. But he wasn't. Brittany was just a distraction, something to keep his mind off of how harsh the real world was, and of the fact that true love wasn't easy.
    
    **In a couple a days she had me a bracelet**
    
    **Made from Harry Winston's place**
    
    **Went horseback up to the mountaintop**
    
    **Showing me the land she's got**
    
    **Well it's all right but something else is on your mind**
    
    **Looking past all that shines now the tears are running thru**
    
    **All those things are nice but its not why I'm here**
    
    **I will wipe away your tears simply by just loving you.**

Alex threw a concerned look at Shelby when she almost jumped ten feet when he touched her. That was never a reaction that he got from her. He wasn't expecting something like that. "You okay?" He asked her seriously. He felt her body tense up again under the pressure of his hand. 

"Yeah," Shelby tried to laugh the feeling off, but it just wouldn't go. Something was wrong, and she had no clue what it was. Looking over to the table, she breathed a huge sign of relief to see that Jess was fine. Then she scolded herself for still thinking her sister was five years old with pigtail braids. "I just didn't see you there." She lied, hoping that he wouldn't see through the 'Slate Harding' mask that she had put up. 

He looked at her again and realized immediately that she was lying. "You sure?" He asked her quickly, not liking the fact that she would think to lie to him. "You seem a little tense?"

Shelby shrugged his hand off of her shoulder and smiled sweetly up at him. "Positive." She said coldly, her eyes scanning his to make sure he believed her.

"As long as you're okay." Alex pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead, causing her to shutter involuntarily. 
    
    **She's miss California, hottest thing in west L.A.**
    
    **House down by the water, sails her yacht across the bay**
    
    **Drives a Marinello, Hollywood's her favorite scene**

**Loves to be surrounded with superstars that know her name**

Shelby wrapped her arms around herself after Alex gave her the hug. That's when she realized that it wasn't just anything that didn't feel right it was _Alex. _Something inside her was trying to warn her about Alex, but the question was "Why."

"Why what?" Daisy asked Shelby as she moved out onto the dance floor with Ezra. The two seemed more and more like a couple the longer they were together. Daisy wrinkled her nose as David came up and wrapped his arms around Shelby, silently asking her to dance. 

"Nothing." Shelby lied again. She hated how this _thing_ was having this kind of affect on her. What was worse was she didn't have a name for it. "Just thinkin' out loud." She smiled over at Daisy, who just nodded.

"I know how that goes." She whispered as she leaned her head on Ezra's shoulder. "Definitely." Then she was quiet for a few seconds. "But if you decide-"

"I'll let you know." Shelby smiled and turned to try to locate Alex with her eyes. She finally found him standing near the table, saying something to Brittany. Alarms went off in her head again, and she found herself slamming her eyes shut and willing herself to think of something else.

Finally here   
Speak to me   
I want to feel you   
I need to hear you   
You are the light   
That's leading me   
To the place   
Where I find peace again 

Daisy leaned into the comfort of Ezra's shoulder, as his arms surrounded her. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her neck as he laid a chaste kiss right below the jaw line. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Shelby, and her heart went out to her best friend. It took a lot of strength and spirit to keep pulling yourself back together like Shelby did. But even Daisy could see that Shelby was wearing thin.

"She'll be fine." Ezra told her sweetly, trying not to pry into Daisy's thoughts. "She has us to catch her."

"What happens if we don't see her fall?" Daisy challenged him with her eyes. Then she softened a bit. "You know why I like you?" She asked him gently. 

"Not a clue."

Brushing her lips against his smoothly, Daisy looked into Ezra's ever-changing eyes. "You're everything I need, and nothing I can't handle." She nuzzled against him and smiled to herself. _Shelby will be fine_. She resolved after a few moments. _Now it's time to find your own love_.

You are the strength 

That keeps me walking 

You are the hope 

That keeps me trusting 

You are the light 

To my soul 

You are my purpose 

You're everything

He could count on his left hand how many times he'd been truly happy. And lucky for Ezra, this made one more. His body couldn't move for seconds after Daisy's lips touched his. Call him sentimental and poetic, but he felt as if their hearts touched, and he could see into her black soul. His world was filled with a sudden light the day 'Daisy Graves' entered his world and gave him hope. He could still remember the first time she allowed him to venture into her thoughts. The day after he had almost wanted to die.

And how can I stand here with you   
And not be moved by you   
Would you tell me how could it be   
Any better than this?

_*They sat at one of the tables in the infirmary of Horizon. Eating in silence after speaking for what seemed like years that day. Ezra still had one question that he needed her to answer, and Daisy still had a lifetime of pain to get over before she did so. _

_But that wasn't enough for him. Ezra had to know. "I do have one more question." Daisy set her fork down and waited for him to finish his sentence. "You never answered the first one I asked." _

_Daisy went to take another bite before dropping her fork onto her plate. __Why can't he just let this one go?__ She asked herself angrily. But then she turned to him. "Get a clue Ezra, it was on purpose." She went back to eating, hoping that he had decided to stop talking._

_It didn't stop there in Ezra's mind though. "I just thought it would have been-"_

_"You're __never__ gonna let this go," she snapped, turning on him. "Are you?" When she calmed down enough to speak, she stood and took a deep breath. "You __scared__ me!" She finally admitted. "Are you happy now?" She shouted at no one in particular. For once in her life she was facing something that scared her. Which, ironically enough, terrified her more._

_Ezra was at a loss for words. "That wasn't what-"_

_"No!" She interrupted him. She was going to get this out before it killed her. The poison she accused Shelby of keeping in was eating at __her __now, and she just wanted it out. "You wanna share? Let's share!" She threw up her arms and glared at him. "I talk about death. I immerse myself in it! Just to hid the simple fact…" Her arms dropped, and Ezra could see a little girl standing in front of him. A little girl that was tired of hiding behind a mask. "I'm terrified of dying." She took a few breaths to calm herself down before sitting again. "Can we go back to eating?" She asked impatiently._

_"Remember," He said after a while. "You asked me once who I'd die for?" He waited for her to nod before continuing. "Nobody." Then he leaned into her, and she allowed a single tear to fall from her eyes.*_

You calm the storms   
And you give me rest   
You hold me in your hands   
You won't let me fall   
You still my heart   
And you take my breath away   
Would you take me in   
Take me deeper now   
Scott could see Alex and Brittany talking to each other as well. He could see the way her head turned to glance over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure they didn't have an audience. He didn't need alarms or bells going off in his mind to know that something was wrong. It was written all over Britt's detailed face. 

Deciding to end this charade, Scott arched over to where Britt and Alex were 'talking' and grabbed her arm. "You and I are talking." He demanded, not bothering to lower his voice. He didn't give a damn that anyone might hear what he was going to say.

Brittany gave a startled whimper, as she allowed herself to be dragged out of the room. "All you had to do was ask." She said simply, smoothing down her gown. Then she caught the primal look in Scott's eye. "What's the matter Scotty?" She asked, a look of concern touching her features gently. When he didn't answer, she touched his cheek with her palm. "Scotty? Are you okay?"

Scott snapped his head away from her hand so fast he feared giving himself whiplash. "It's Scott." He snapped harshly. "Scott."

"Okay, okay," Brittany was trying her hardest to look frightened. But the truth was, she was elated at the fact that Scott had reverted back to the rough and tough football player that he used to be. He was so much easier to control like that. "You win, Scott." 

"What the hell is up with you and Wallace?" He barked impatiently. He knew that what he was doing wasn't rational. But, his mind reminded him, you left rational a few exits back. When he didn't get a reaction from her, he grabbed her wrists. "Answer me damn it!" 

It was at that point that Brittany realized what she was doing. Or rather what she was about to do. Scott didn't care about her. He cared about Shelby. And she was about to blow any chance he had with her to Hell and back. The sad thing was, she didn't care. "We were just talking." She tried to say as innocently as possible, knowing full well that he wasn't going to believe her.

"Try again." 

She squirmed out of his grip and turned back to him. "Honest Scott. We were talking about us staying a little while longer." Her blue eyes moistened themselves as if she had commanded it. "I'm telling you the truth, and you know it." She leaned into him and placed her palms securely on his chest. "Don't you?"

The agitation in his eyes fell away, and the only thing that remained was the emotion that follows quickly after rage: Desire. Brittany relished in this, so happy to see that she did know her way around the male mind. "You were worried about me leaving with Alex weren't you?" She asked him coyly, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. "You don't need to worry." She assured him, taking the opportunity to wrap an arm around his neck. "Not at all." Then she did the only thing that Scott wasn't expecting. She kissed him.

And how can I   
Stand here with you   
And not be moved by you?   
Would you tell me   
How could it be   
Any better than this?

Alex watched from what he called the sidelines as Brittany worked her magic on Scott. He wasn't happy until Scott took the bait. And when she kissed him, Alex felt only a twinge of regret for what that sight was going to do to Shelby. Then he remembered that it would push her into his arms, and he smiled. Sometimes it paid to be sadistic and heartless. 

He turned away from the pair in the lobby and headed back into the dining room, just in time to see Shelby looking around in alarm. Things were going all to smoothly in his eyes.

And how can I   
Stand here with you   
And not be moved by you?   
Would you tell me   
How could it be   
Any better than this? 

Shelby scanned the dance floor for Scott. When she didn't see him, she turned to David. "You see where Cowboy went?" She asked nervously. The pit of her stomach dropped, and she felt as if she was seconds away from seeing her dinner. She had to find Scott.

"One of these days you're gonna have to tell me why you call him that." David joked, and then off of Shelby's look, he shook his head. "Not since he headed over to see Britt." He smiled harmlessly.

"I think they went out to the lobby." Ezra supplied, leaning out of his embrace with Daisy to look at Shelby. "You okay Shells?" He asked her only half jokingly. Shelby's head shook violently, and she left the dance floor, not bothering to listen to David calling after her. 

She passed Alex, who stepped into her path. "Where's the fire?" He asked her lightheartedly. He could tell she was looking for Scott. And he could also tell her what she would witness when she found him. Neither thing he as going to say out loud.

"Nothing." She said for the third time that night. Taking a deep breath, Shelby pushed Alex out of her way and ran to the lobby.

Alex wasn't alone in seeing her stop dead in her tracks. Nor was he alone in watching as she backed up in alarm, and covered her mouth. But he was the only one who was smiling when she staggered to the side to support herself on the wall. As evil as it would sound to anyone other than himself, Alex knew that moment was priceless. 

Cause you're all I want,   
you're all I need   
You're everything   
Everything.

Scott was completely oblivious to the fact that he had onlookers gaping at him. But for some odd reason, he was acutely aware of a stifled sob. At that moment he wasn't interested in investigating a cry, he was to busy getting rid of one of his own. 

Although storybooks and fairytales would all tell him that a kiss between two people that were meant to be was breathtaking, he still thought that nothing could beat a heated kiss of pure yearning. He felt nothing more for Brittany than he had Juliet when 'dated' her, but there was always that passion that rose out of sheer lust. That was the thing that he as going on now, no matter how much he would hate himself for it later.

You're all I want   
You're all I need   
You're everything   
everything 

Shelby could feel her very soul shatter as she just stood there, watching as Scott pulled Brittany closer to him. She could feel his need all the way across the room, and it was killing her. Her body shook with sobs that she wouldn't allow herself to cry, eyes watering with tears that she wouldn't allow herself to shed. A trembling hand wiped her eyes as she sank to the floor, utterly powerless, unbelievably alone.

You're all I want   
You're all I need   
You're everything   
Everything

She would have traded every single joyous memory that she had ever had in her entire life to erase the picture that was branded into her mind now. No matter how many times she closed her eyes, Shelby still saw the same image. Scott's lips were frantically pressed against someone that wasn't her. That thought all on it's own was enough to kill her already demented heart.

You're all I want   
You're all I need   
Everything, everything

Every part of her being cried out in anguish as she forced herself to believe that she was really watching this. That she was just sitting by idly while Scott unknowingly handed her anything that they had ever had back to her on a trampled dream. Suddenly the pain became too much for her to handle, and she allowed herself to cry out, to grieve for the loss of what she thought was to be forever.

And how can I   
Stand here with you   
And not be moved by you?   
Would you tell me   
How could it be   
Any better than this? 

"Oh my God!"

Daisy rushed over to her best friend the second that she saw Shelby drop onto the floor. After seconds of trying to get Shelby to speak to her, she finally followed Shelby's gaze over to where Scott and Brittany were practically all over each other- no wait, there was no practically about it. Daisy put an hand to her mouth and sucked in a quick breath of air.

And how can I   
Stand here with you   
and not be moved by you?   
Would you tell me   
How could it be   
Any better any better than this? 

"Shit." Auggie cursed in at least three different languages as he dropped to the floor beside Shelby. She was sitting so still, her eyes focusing on one thing, and one thing alone. The only thought that crossed his mind as Juliet came running up to se what was the matter was a very simple one. _If Shelby doesn't kill him, __I will_.

And how can I   
Stand here with you   
And not be moved by you?   
Would you tell me   
How could it be   
Any better than this

Scott heard Daisy day something, and he pulled away from Brittany. Following the sounds of students, Scott was able to pinpoint Daisy and Auggie sitting on the floor next to something that wasn't moving. As he too a step foreword, he realized that the _something_ was a _someone_. Then he realized that that _someone_ was Shelby.

Finally Shelby was able to move, and she stood on her own, her eyes never leaving Scott's. "I asked for this didn't I?" She asked him in a terrifyingly soft voice. "And you were more than happy to oblige." She lunged at him, and he was able to push her back into Auggie's arms. "Bastard!!" She shouted at him as loud as she could have gotten. Auggie let go of her, or rather she pushed him away from her, and she just stood there. Then she turned and took off for the ballroom.

"Shelby!" Scott shouted as he saw the tears flood from her eyes.

Would you tell me   
How could it be   
Any better any better than this?

*Was it worth the wait? Did it just completely suck? Review and let me know.

*For this one, I'm gonna get mean. If you want to read what happens next, I'm gonna need at least 15 reviews. I know it's a lot, but you guys can do it. I have faith in you.


	13. There Are Times When You Just Have to Wa...

"Shell

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father.~   
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~**__**

~I've decided that if you want a song list, you're going to have to e-mail me for it, seeing as though I can never seen to remember to put it up with my stories.

Memories are still in Italics, with * before and after them

Thanks to Superhoop3 for not killing me like she should about sending her chapters. Lol

"The eyes are the window to ones soul." ~Unknown.

"Shell." Scott's voice left him as he turned to follow Shelby out of the small room. He ran after her as if his life depended on it, leaving Brittany to fend for herself with Daisy. "Shelby, stop!" By now, unknown to them, they had the attention of everyone in the lobby. "Shelby, listen to me." He finally caught up to her right before she entered the ballroom. He was able to get a good grip on her arm without much trouble. "You have to let me explain-"

"There's nothing **to** explain." Shelby struggled against his hold, but he was just too strong for her. Their gazes crosses and Scott could see seven months worth of hurt and pain in her light baby blue eyes. The one thing he didn't see was anger. Without thinking, Shelby jerked her arm away from him. "Let go of me!" She snapped harshly as she turned and ran into the ballroom. 

That was when Scott became aware of all of the people that had been watching them. Peter being one of them. Shaking his head slightly, Peter walked away from his group of chaperones, past Scott into the ballroom.

Shelby ran past the Cliffhanger table, headed for the staircase. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. Wiping her face with one hand, she allowed the tears to flow freely. Suddenly a hand clutched her arm and she turned sharply, prepared to do whatever it took to get her arm back and get up to the suite without incident. "Leave me-"

"No." Alex looked every bit the dark mysterious hero when he looked up at Shelby through his dark lashes. "Not when you're like this." He pulled her off of the stairs and into a hug. 

Shelby didn't know what to do. She stood there, tears still running out of her now gray eyes and down her pale cheeks. "I can't do this." She said simply, wiping her eyes for what seemed like the thousandth time that night. "Why did I ever think I could?"

Alex took her hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor. Pulling Shelby to him, he felt her relax, and the sobs lessen. The song the DJ decided to play at that time, in Alex's opinion, had to be the best thing in the world.

**I can see that you've been crying  
You can't hide it with a lie  
What's the use in you denying  
That what you have is wrong**  
Shelby just let herself go as Alex led her around the dance floor. She didn't have the energy to fight him anymore. Scott had taken so much out of her. Slowly, as if waking up from a dream, Shelby began to move on her own. She wrapped her arms around Alex's neck and smiled. If she can't be with Scott, she might as well be with one she knew she could learn to love. 

Alex felt her surrender to him and smiled. Maybe she was ready to see that there were other guys out in the world other than Scott Barringer. She began pressing her body to his and he couldn't help but to wrap his arms more tightly around her waist. This was going to be a good night.

**I heard him promise you forever  
but forever's come and gone  
Baby, he would say whatever  
it takes to keep you blind**

**To the truth between the lines**

Daisy finally gave up on Brittany and made her way back to the ballroom. She knew that by now Shelby was either in a deep conversation with Alex, or she was up in the suite having a deep conversation with the knife that all the girls knew came with her. 

She didn't even look at Scott as she passed him in the doorway. If she did see his face, as he watched Shelby and Alex dancing incredibly close, she would have known how much Shelby seeing the kiss (that never should have happened) was killing him. Scott felt as if everything in his world was crumbling. And if he didn't find a way to fix everything he would try to find Shelby's knife when they got back to Horizon

**I will love you more than that  
I won't say the words  
Then take them back  
Don't give loneliness a chance  
Baby don't listen to me when I say  
I will love you more than that**

Alex sang the next verse into Shelby's ear. He knew he should back off and let Shelby come to him, but he just couldn't. He smiled as she turned to look at him. Her eyelids closed and she leaned into his touch.

**Baby you deserve much better**

**What's the use in holding on?**

**Don't you see it's now or never?**

**Cause I just can't be friends**

**Baby knowing that in the end that…**

The feeling deep in Shelby's stomach still hadn't gone away. Every time she closed her eyes she could still see the look of passion lust mixed with anger on Scott's face when Brittany pulled him to her. No! Her mind shouted at her angrily. You're getting over Scott Barringer, and moving on to Alex. He can take care of you now. Shelby could feel the words weighing on her and she stopped. Was she really that helpless girl that her and Alex made jokes about earlier that day? Did she really need a man to take care of her? If she did, then how did she make all those years on the street before she met Patty and Alex? 

**I will love you more than that  
I won't say the words  
Then take them back  
Don't give loneliness a chance  
Baby don't listen to me when I say  
I will love you more than that**

I love you. 

Shelby's eyes snapped open and she looked around the room. Then her eyes looked at Alex's face. "Did you say something?" She asked him attentively.

"No," He shook his head and grinned. "Would you like me to say something?"

Shelby shook her head and placed it on his shoulder. I love you. The voice said again, and Shelby closed her eyes and felt as a tear rolled down her cheek onto Alex's jacket.

**There's not a day that passes by**

**I don't wonder why we haven't tried**

**It's not too late to change your mind**

**So take my hand, don't say goodbye**

Taking a few deep breaths, Brittany watched Scott watching Shelby, a wry smile on her face. Scotty was almost miserable. He was so close to turning around and coming back to her. Her plan was working out perfectly. 

**I will love you more than that  
I won't say the words  
Then take them back  
Don't give loneliness a chance  
Baby don't listen to me when I say  
I will love you more than that**

When the song ended, Alex led Shelby over to the Cliffhanger table. She smiled at the group just as an arm wrapped around her waist and took her out to the dance floor before she could protest. When she was turned around her dark eyes met Scott's. "What?" She barked angrily.

"We're talking." He said as harshly as he could. He had to get his point across. 

"You didn't think asking me to dance would have been more appropriate?" Her voice was as cold as her glare as she stared him down.

"You would have run, Shell. That's what you do when you don't want to deal with anything." 

Her palm hit his cheek like a gust of harsh wind. "Don't think for a moment that you know me." She blinked back the hot tears that stung her eyes. 

"I do know you." Scott forced her eyes to once again reconnect with his. "I love you." 

"How could I forget?" she asked, her voice coldly. 

**One doesn't mean anything to me**

**Come; show me the meaning of complete**

**Where did our love go wrong?**

**Once we were so strong**

**How can I go on?**

Everyone at the table knew that this was either the moment that was going to make or break Scott and Shelby's relationship. Juliet stared at the couple and smiled painfully. The only person out on the floor she cared about was Shelby. After so much pain, Juliet wished with all her heart that whichever prince Shelby chose, she was happy. 

Shelby closed her eyes and just listened to the song. She tried to pretend that it wasn't Scott in her arms. That the beating in her heart was anticipation of what he was going to say rather than her body responding to how close she was to him. His words were just so fresh in her mind. I love you. He had said to her. Over the summer, Shelby wished she would have been able to hear those words come from his lips. But him saying it now only added to how hard it was when he disappeared. And it reminded her that sooner or later, he would leave her again.

**When you told me you loved me**

**Did you know it would take me the rest of my life?**

**To get over the feeling of knowing' our dream**

**Didn't turn out right**

**When you let me believe**

**That you were incomplete without me by your side**

**How could I know?**

**That you would go, that you would run**

**Baby I thought you were the one**

Scott didn't know what to say. For someone so adamant about them talking a few minutes ago, his mind was completely blank. So instead of talking, he slid his hands around her waist and just held her against him. She has to remember that we did have some good times. He said to himself. "Shell?" He asked softly.

"Yeah?" Her voice was smooth, her words languid. Shelby wasn't angry with him anymore and they both knew it. Being like this with Scott made all the problems of the world go away. Maybe that was the problem. 

**Why can't I just leave it all behind?**

**I felt passion so bright that I was blind**

**Then something made me weak**

**Talking in my sleep**

**Baby I'm in so deep and you know I believed**

"I love you." Scott said again, more clearly this time.

All Shelby did was smile as the memories swept over her.

*Shelby stood all alone on the outskirts of the group watching the miklovsky meteor shower. Even though her body was there with the hundred or so Horizon students, her mind was in a completely different place. Her eyes closed lightly, and she could see the person she thought to be her one true love. But he had left her. Just like all the people that claim to love her left her. Scott was different though; he never said he loved her. 

While the rest of the group "ohhh"-ed and "awww"-ed, Shelby was silently weeping for the love she thought she was capable of, but never seemed to hold onto. Tears ran down her pale cheeks like rain, and she brushed them away without even noticing that they were there. 

Then she sensed something behind her. Turning only slightly, she saw him. Scott walked up to her in his tux and just stood there. Then he took her in his arms and smiled at her tear stained face.

"Why'd you come back?" She asked him softly, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to that question though.

Scott's mind battled over to tell her the truth or not. "Because…" He started and looked deep into her eyes. He wanted to make her believe what he was about to say more than anything. "Because…" He started again. "I love you."

Her heart rejoiced and she pulled him into another hug. Twirling her around, Scott lifted her off of the dirt and wouldn't let go of her. With all his heart he wanted to keep her. And with all her heart she wanted him to prove her luck wrong. *

**When you told me you loved me**

**Did you know it would take me the rest of my life?**

**To get over the feeling of knowing' our dream**

**Didn't turn out right**

**When you let me believe**

**That you were incomplete without me by your side**

**How could I know?**

**That you would go, that you would run**

**Baby I thought you were the one**

The tears fell from Shelby's eyes again. She could still feel the softness in Scott's kiss that night. The way he held her when they were alone in the gazebo, she felt safer there, in his arms than anywhere else in the world.Even now, when he was responsible for turning her world upside down, she still remembered the way he held her in his arms. 

"You don't mean that." She stated so matter-o-factly. 

Scott's heart stopped. He couldn't believe that she could ever doubt the fact that he loved her. "How do you know?" His gaze challenged her.

"Because I know you all too well, Cowboy." She looked up with timid eyes. "And I remember the way you used to be all too well to believe that you would just give away love so easily."

**Your lips, your face, something that time can't erase**

**My heart could break all over again**

Scott held his breath as he ran a finger over Shelby's lips. Her breath caught in her throat and she was unable to speak much less move away from him. "When I told you I loved you, I had every intention of loving you for the rest of my life." He spoke so softly, that even Shelby strained to hear him. "You're the one I'm supposed to be with."

"When you told me you loved me-" Shelby's voice dropped off as the music picked up again.

**Did you know it would take me the rest of my life?**

**To get over the feeling of knowing' our dream**

**Didn't turn out right**

**When you let me believe**

**That you were incomplete without me by your side**

**How could I know?**

**That you would go, that you would run**

**Baby I thought you were the one**

Thin fingers brushed away tears that shouldn't have been shed. Murmurs and "sorry's" filled the space between them. The world was suddenly set back into place. Then, as if to insure that this is how it was supposed to be, pale pink lips brushed against Scott's neck, and that was all it took.

**Cannot touch, cannot hold**

**Cannot be together**

**Cannot love, cannot kiss**

**Cannot have each other**

**Must be strong**

**And we must let go**

**Cannot say what our hearts must know**

He cupped her chin and raised her face toward his. He lifted his gaze to hers, the thick lashes casting shadows until the blue in her eyes appeared black. It had been those dark orbs that he had first fallen in love with. Her ever-expressive eyes that always reminded him that she was a force of nature trapped in the body of a seventeen year old girl. As he looked back on his months without her he felt the urge to take her in his arms and never let her go. He couldn't do that, because he knew she wouldn't allow it. So instead, ever so gently, he brushed his lips against hers. 

**How can I not love you?**

**What do I tell my heart?**

**When do I not want you here in my heart?**

**How does one waltz away from all of the memories?**

**How so I not miss you when you are gone**

It was a moment of tender uncertainty. Mouths gentle, soft, a shared breath. A sweet delicate kiss, and then a more passionate one. More hunger. Mouth against mouth with more pressure, more urgency. Hot, moist, drinking each other in, exploring, tasting. The room had dissolved, and the only people in the universe were the them. There was not a better feeling in the world.

But then reality came back to them, and Scott and Shelby were forced to part, to breath.And suddenly Shelby felt a piercing jolt of fear. She pulled back to look into Scott's blue eyes. "What are we doing, Scott? What are we trying to do to ourselves?"

He silenced her with a kiss. She tensed for only a moment before relaxing into his arms. Was there a world anywhere beyond here in her arms? Scott asked himself as he breathed in the scent of Shelby's vanilla shampoo. Unfortunately, his mind told him solemnly as he caught Alex and Brittany out of the corner of his eye. There is.

**Cannot dream**

**Cannot share sweet and tender moments**

**Cannot feel how we feel**

**Must pretend its over**

**Must be brave**

**And we must go on**

**Must not say what we've known all along**

They knew that they should stop this. Stop the madness that turned their tender love into a semi-tragic soap opera. Scot should go and talk to Brittany, just as Shelby should pull Alex aside and speak her thoughts, but both knew it wasn't going to happen. Their lives were too complicated when they were together. Complication wasn't something a person needed at Horizon. Being on the outside looking in was easier than joining the party. 

**How can I not love you?**

**What do I tell my heart?**

**When do I not want you here in my heart?**

**How does one waltz away from all of the memories?**

**How so I not miss you when you are gone**

Pulling away from Scott, Shelby tried not to look into his eyes. When she did, she didn't want to accept what she saw there. Love, lust, insatiable need. All of those were mixed into Scott's incredibly expressive eyes. She bit her bottom lip gently as she forced herself to let go of him. The words that needed to be said died on her lips before they could be uttered. 

**Must be brave**

**And we must be strong**

**Cannot say what we've known all along**

Watching through sorrowful eyes, the entire table knew that it wouldn't be over for the pair on the dance floor. Although both were strong, no one could fight love and survive. But their reasons were the important thing at the moment. Scott was trading in the uncertainty of true love for the predictable nature of desire. Brittany might not be the one he's supposed to be with, but the need to quench the physical hunger overcame the want of true companionship. He wasn't about to force Shelby to give herself to him entirely until she was ready. 

Looking into Scott's eyes, Shelby watched as he mouthed the three words that made what she was doing feel so right. I love you.

**How can I not love you?**

**What do I tell my heart?**

**When do I not want you here in my heart?**

**How does one waltz away from all of the memories?**

**How so I not miss you when you are gone**

**How can I not love you when you are gone?******


	14. Pain

I can't Believe

Disclaimer- As if I hadn't made it clear the first few times, I own no one. 

Alex leaned over the table as Daisy and Shelby turned the corner to go to the restroom. "As promised." He slid the check across the table. Brittany's eyebrows rose when she saw the amount on the check. There must have been some mistake. 

"Um…Alex?" Brittany folded the check and stuck it into her handbag. "There was one too many zeros on that check." She took a sip of her water and glanced around the room to make sure no one was watching them. "We agreed on five thou, not fifty." 

"So you got a little bonus." He waved his hand as if it was nothing but a minor point. "You did a good job. You deserve it." He took a sip of his champagne and smiled at Jessica, who was coming back from the restroom. "Hey you." He laughed as she slid into a seat near him. 

Brittany shook her head and made a decision. The tossing in her stomach was horrible as she thought about what she had just done. Getting paid five thousand wouldn't have made her feel that bad. Where she came from, everyone could afford that kind of cash. It just seemed dirtier when it was fifty. "I'm going to powder my nose." She said clearly, barely receiving a nod from Alex as he talked with Shelby's little sister about what she wanted to do with her life. Standing quickly, she moved over to where Peter stood in the corner of the room. "Mister Scarburrow?" She asked him attentively. "May I have a word with you?"

Peter looked confused for a second before he nodded at her. "Sure Britt." She slid into a nearby chair and Peter looked at her squarely. "I assume this has something to do with what happened a few minutes ago." Looking at the girl now, Peter realized how young she really looked. With just a little bit of lip-gloss, and some minor blush and mascara, Brittany looked nothing like she did when he first met her. 

"What would you do to me if I told you that I didn't want to do what I did out in the lobby?" She watched as he turned to look into her eyes abruptly. She knew that she risked a lot by telling him that Alex paid her to seduce Scott. That would tear his entire image of the Golden Boy to bits, and even with the check, there was a very large chance that he wouldn't believe her. "It wasn't my idea to…" She couldn't figure out how to put what was in her mind into words.

"Come between Scott and Shelby?" His voice sounded so sure of himself. "But that's why you came up here isn't it?" He wasn't being the nicest guy to her, and for that he was only partially sorry. When she looked away, he turned from her. "Brittany?"

"I came up here to see what was so good about this place." She said evenly. "I wanted to see why Scott found it so easy to give up the lifestyle that he'd been living." That part was true enough, at least she could tell most of the truth. "Scott would have given up on me if it wasn't for Alex being there with Shelby. Even you know that much." Peter nodded, and she felt compelled to finish what she started. "Shelby would have given up Alex if she thought that Scott would take her back. She just wanted someone to feel safe with, and for a reason that's beyond me, she felt safe with Alex." Brittany pulled her handbag into her lap and fumbled with the clasp. Then she reached in and pulled out the folded check. "But back to my beginning statement." She handed it to Peter and his eyes widened at the sight of the amount. "Alex became threatened when Scott and Shelby got Prom-I mean Morp king and queen. He told me to get between them." She stopped and watched as Shelby came back to the table and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "At first it seemed harmless enough. I felt jealous of what they had, and it was-"

"A challenge." Peter said smoothly. 

Brittany nodded and closed her eyes tightly. "He originally offered me five thou to do it." She said shamefully. "Then a few minutes ago he handed me that. It just felt wrong." Wiping her trembling hands on her dress to smooth it down, she coughed. "It just felt wrong."

Peter looked at the crying girl and frowned. For once, he didn't know what to do about this. "Would you be willing to tell this to Scott and Shelby?" He asked gently, handing Brittany a napkin off of the table. Brittany nodded smoothly, and Peter looked over at the table where all the Cliffhangers had joined again. His eyes connected with Scott's, and Peter nodded. He did the same with Shelby.

Scott and Shelby rose smoothly, and made their way over to Peter and Brittany. They looked at each other in alarm when they say that Brittany was crying. Kneeling down in front of Brittany, Scott turned her face to his. "What's the matter?" He asked her, and then Peter.

"Brittany has something that she has to tell you two." Peter said, nodding them into chairs around the table. "And neither of you are going to like her for it." Peter placed a hand on Britt's shoulder, and she started to cough. "Go on."

Brittany took a deep breath, and looked into Scott's eyes. He would understand why she did what she did. He had seen football players at their old high school do the exact same thing to get the girl they want. Smoothing her face with her hands, Brittany looked up at Shelby. "Alex isn't the kind of guy you think he is." She started easily. "I know you don't want to admit this, but he's your typical rich guy."

"What are you talking about?" Shelby crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned to Peter. "What is she talking about?" Already, she didn't like where this was going.

"Let her finish." Peter slid into the chair next to Brittany. 

Time stood still for a few moments as Brittany tried to calm herself down. "Alex couldn't stand to see you and Scott get closer, so he asked me to do something about it. He told me that it would be worth my while-"

"She's lying." Shelby barked, cutting Brittany off. "Alex would never do that."

The check switched hands smoothly, and Shelby's eyes widened. "Then why did he write me a fifty thousand dollar check?" She squared her jaw and looked at Scott. "At first it was only supposed to for a couple thou. Then after I did it, he handed me that. He told me that it was worth it." 

Shelby covered her mouth with her hand and Scott put his hands on Brittany's knees. "Why'd you do it Britt?" He asked her quickly, before Shelby could form the words she was thinking of. The last thing they needed was a chick fight. "Why'd you take the money?"

"The same reasons I did it back at Hemery." Brittany put her hands on Scott's and looked into his eyes. "I was jealous of what you two had. And misery loves company, remember?" Shaking her head, Brittany pushed Scott's hands away from her. "I truly am sorry. You've got to believe me." Tears escaped her eyes and she watched Scott and Shelby exchange looks. 

"Yeah," Shelby said slowly. "I believe you." Scott stood and put his hand on Shelby's arm. Shaking her head, Shelby looked him directly in the eyes. She took her room key out of her handbag and handed it to Scott. "Why don't you take her up to my suite?" She said softly nodding to Scott that everything would be okay. "I doubt she brought any clothes up with her, so she can borrow some of mine." Scott whispered something that Brittany couldn't make out, and Shelby shook her head. "No. Let me deal with Alex." She kissed him gently on the cheek and turned to see that Alex had left he room and was now in the lobby with a few chaperones. 

Shelby grabbed Alex's arm and leaned into his shoulder. "I need to speak to you for a moment." She said as pleasantly as she could. Alex looked at her with questioning eyes, and she smiled at the two Horizon counselors that were standing next to him. "**Alone**." She stated quickly, looking into his eyes. Alex nodded, and Shelby turned to the chaperones. "If you'll excuse us…" She slowly pulled him away from the group, and the second they were around the corner she whirled on him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She asked him angrily.

Alex looked confused for a second. "Say that one again?" He whipped his brow with the back of his hand and watched as Shelby pulled a folded white paper out of her handbag. He recognized it immediately, and his mind spun. "Shell-"

"No." She spat out harshly. "I don't want to hear anymore of your lame ass excuses. This time Alex, I want the truth." 

Looking around the room, Alex motioned for her to lower her voice. "Could we have this conversation somewhere else?" He asked smoothly, knowing all too well that if he could get her alone, he could make her see that he did it for her. Shelby's gaze never wavered, and he lowered his head to look more clearly into her eyes. "Please Shelby?" 

"I can't believe that **you** of all people could do something like this!" Shelby shouted as Alex turned away from her. They had been arguing back and forth for at least twenty minutes already, and she still couldn't see how Alex couldn't see that what he did was wrong. She wasn't even sure why she had agreed to have this conversation up in Alex's room, but she was glad for a little privacy. She couldn't believe how confident he was, how arrogant. Rage consumed her body, twisting her emotions of pain and sorrow until there was nothing left but hate and indifference. Once again she was Slate Harding. "I thought you cared for me?" She asked him softly.

"I loved you." Alex said bluntly. "Then you went after Scott, after you told me that whatever you had with him was over." 

"I did what I had to do!" She screamed at him, her heart constricting. "There was a time that I would have sworn you knew what that was like." She wanted to hurt him now. To make him wish that he hadn't shown her mixed emotions when all she needed was someone to understand what she was going through. She wanted to make him feel all the hurt and betrayal that she was going through.

She made her voice velvety soft. "To think that I allowed you to hold me and tell me that everything would be alright."

Alex stopped cold, realization dawning through him.

"To think that I actually wanted your arms around me."

Slowly, suddenly turned on by her soft, delicate words, he turned to regard her. She was sitting on the bed, **his** bed, watching him with eyes the color of the sea.

"To think I wanted you to touch me"

He took a step foreword.

"Makes me sick." Shelby finished before his foot hit the marble floor.

The back of his hand came down on her right cheek hard. 

Shelby fell back onto the bed, her right hand immediately reaching for her cheek. Alex didn't even register what had happened until he saw the tears in her eyes. He didn't even realize that he had struck her. He took a step to her, just to watch her creep back onto the bed some more to get away from him. "Shell…" His voice died down as Shelby's eyes lifted to look into his. Never in his entire life had he seen so much pain and hatred. And he never wanted to see it again. Especially coming from Shelby's eyes. "I'm **so** sorry." He tried to reach out to her, but she recoiled again. 

"Don't touch me again." She coughed, her face still stinging from his hand. He reached for her again, and she slapped his hand away. "I said don't **fucking** touch me!" She shouted at him. She could feel her voice constrict as the tears ran down her face. As calmly as she could, Shelby stood and took a few deep breaths. 

"Shell-"

She barely registered that he had spoken as she began to move to the door. "I'm never going to see you again." She stated calmly. "I'm going to receive a letter from you're secretary telling me how to get into my bank account, and then you're going to disappear from my life." She wiped her eyes and turned to face him. Her mind was still trying to put its thoughts back together. "How could you think that you could turn me into who I used to be?" Little by little, Shelby felt as though she would be fine. "How could you try to buy my love? How do you justify trashing my heart?" She wiped her eyes again and opened the door. "I'm never gonna see you again." She repeated as she walked out of the door and into the hall. The door shut with a soft click and Shelby began to sob.

Reviews are welcome, if not demanded.


	15. Friends will be Friends

Misguided Roses

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father. I also made up a few people in the middle of this story, you'll see why.~   
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~**__**

~I've decided that if you want a song list, you're going to have to e-mail me for it, seeing as though I can never seen to remember to put it up with my stories.

Memories are still in Italics, with * before and after them

For my Beta, I haven't forgotten you, I've just not had the time to write…lol E-mail me.~Illusia

"The eyes are the window to ones soul." ~Unknown.

Daisy looked around the ballroom before realizing that Scott, Shelby, and Brittany had disappeared. Looking around the room, she noticed Peter standing off to the side with Sophie. Touching Ezra's arm, she stood and walked confidently over to the two counselors. "What happened with Brittany?" She asked steadily. Everyone had gotten used to the fact that Daisy didn't beat around the bush when it came to anything. She said it like she saw it, and that was that.She watched them exchange looks and she crossed her arms. "You gonna answer me or do you want me to guess?" She blinked a few times before Peter finally looked her in the eyes.

"You're going to have to ask them." He said shortly, knowing all too well that Daisy wasn't going to accept that. He watched as she ran a hand through her hair and pursed her lips together. "Daisy-"

"Forget I asked." Daisy pushed herself away from the table she was leaning on and frowned. "Just forget it." Her feet hit the floor with scary accurate rhythm as she took herself back to the table and put her hand on Ezra's arm, trying to calm herself. Ezra looked up and smiled at her. She nodded and Ezra stood up and walked with her out to the lobby. Alex walked past them into the ballroom and Daisy shuttered.

He had never seen her act like this before. Daisy had never allowed anyone to see her hurt, and for some odd reason, he felt oddly happy that he was the first to see it. "You okay?" He asked her gently, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. 

She didn't trust her voice enough to speak, so Daisy just shook her head. She wasn't sure what she wanted to tell him right then, but she needed him to be with her. Leaning into him, Daisy allowed Ezra to pull her close. "I have a bad feeling about this." She finally said. "And I can't find Shelby." She let her voice drop and she locked eyes with him. 

Shelby stumbled into the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor. As the doors closed, Shelby allowed herself time to try to pull herself together. She ran her hands over her face, ruining her make-up and making her cheek sting even worse. Now she hated herself more than ever. She hated the fact that she actually trusted Alex, and the fact that she practically dropped Scott in Brittany's lap so she could attempt to recover her past. That was the one thing that Peter had warned her about over and over, and she hadn't gotten it until now. 

The elevator dinged and Shelby slammed her eyes open and her hand instinctively lifted to her cheek in a vain attempt to cover the rapidly growing bruise she probably had there.She passed two businessmen and a seven-year-old girl on her way to her room. All the while wondering how she was going to explain her cheek to Scott. She knew Brittany would understand, or at least not ask as many questions. Slowly she raised her hand to the door and tapped a few times, and then she immediately buried her head in her hands and wiped the rest of the tears from her eyes. As the door squeaked open, she prayed she wouldn't be looking up into Scott's eyes. 

Turning at the sound of her name, Daisy looked directly into Alex's eyes. "Daisy," he said again, this time a little softer. He tried to cover the shame that he knew would probably shine through his eyes as he approached her and Ezra. "Could you do something for me?" His voice wavered, and he knew that she wouldn't buy the excuse that he was trying to makeup on such short notice. 

"Depends." She placed the palm of her left hand on her hip and reached behind her with her other hand to hold onto Ezra. After a moment she shook her head. "What the hell could you possibly need me to do?" In the back of her mind she already could tell that it had something to do with Shelby. _If he hurt her…_ she told herself mentally, squeezing Ezra's hand a little harder than anyone would think she could. 

"You can't ask why-" he started just to get cut off by Daisy shaking her head at him.

"Just tell me what it is you want?" She snapped harshly.

Alex took a deep breath and looked at Ezra. The boy hadn't said much, and Alex knew better than to try to strike up some sort of conversation with the only person making sure that Daisy didn't rip his head off and throw it across the room. "Go find Shelby-" was all he would get out before Daisy dropped her hold on Ezra and raced to the stairs. 

I know it's short, but I wanted to get a part out before you guys though that I forgot about you. And this time I'm gonna leave you guys with a teaser. Review if you want to read the next part

**On the next Higher Ground: **

"Why don't you let **him** make that choice?" Daisy's green eyes watched as Shelby slid into her Nike's and turned to the door. "Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days."

"You've been spending way too much time with Ezra." Shelby laughed on her way out the door.

They were kissing again, as they were meant to. He wanted her so much. He needed her.

"Oh God, you feel-" Shelby whispered into his shirt.

In that moment, he knew he had a choice to make. He chose for her, not himself. He said, "You have to get back upstairs."

She began to walk backwards, away from him. "You're right. This is me... Going. This is me going upstairs to bed."

For the first time in all of her 17 years, Shelby had hope of heaven.


	16. In The End...

~Disclaimer: I own none of them, I'm just playing with them, and I'll be returning them when I get through. I also stake no claim to any episodes that I use for the Flashbacks. They belong to the writers and FFC. I do however own Alex Wallace, his father and his secretary Connie, as well as anyone Scott knew when he was at home with his father. I also made up a few people in the middle of this story, you'll see why.~   
~There are also a few lines that I have taken from one of my other favorite shows, BTVS. I thought that Joss's words would fit better in this type of subtext. I am not changing the words in any way shape or form. They will also be returned when I'm done.~**__**

~I've decided that if you want a song list, you're going to have to e-mail me for it, seeing as though I can never seen to remember to put it up with my stories.

Memories are still in Italics, with * before and after them

This part goes out to my lil' sis, who got on last night and completely re-wrote one of the scenes. I still love ya Britt.                             ~Illusia

"The eyes are the window to ones soul." ~Unknown.

                The girls were just about to turn in to bed when there was a knock on the door. Jessica was the first off of the couch, and she quickly made her way to the door. Scott stood patently on the other side of the door. Holding a single coral colored rose. "I know it's late," he started to say when Kat came up behind Jess. "But do you think it would be possible for me to see Shelby tonight?"

Kat opened the door wider and waved him in. "Sure," she said softly. "Daisy. Would you mind going in and telling Shelby that Scott's here?" Daisy jumped up quickly, and as she made her way into the room she shared with Shelby, Kat turned to Scott. "She's not doing too well." Kat explained.

"You have a visitor." Daisy took a flying leap onto the bed and landed on her stomach.

Shelby finished buttoning up her white blouse and looked at her reflection. "I told Alex that I never wanted to see him again." She said harshly, the conviction in her red eyes proving how deeply he had hurt her. Taking the bottle of eye drops out of her duffle; Shelby liberally put a few beads into her eyes. 

"Well then I guess it's a good thing that he's not you're visitor." Daisy sat up and looked at Shelby's reflection in the mirror. "Put some suitable pants on, Scott's waiting."

"Why'd you tell him I'd see him?" Shelby's eyes contradicted the rest of her body. She appeared strong and unwavering, and then you'd look into her eyes. 

Daisy pushed herself off of the bed and onto her feet. "Because you should." She turned her friend around and pointed to the mirror. "See that girl?" Shelby looked away, and Daisy pointed again. "No, Shelby, **look** at her." Shelby's face turned again, and Daisy got a clear shot of the bruise that started to form right under Shelby's right eye. It hurt Daisy to see the bruise almost as much as it Alex had hurt Shelby when he hit her. "You might despise her right now, and you might think she's nothing but the lowly slut that Alex spent the past twenty minutes beating up. But nobody else sees you like that. Especially Scott. The girl in the mirror," she pointed again for emphasis. "The one staring at me right now, Scott **loves** her." Shelby turned away and pushed past Daisy, trying to get away from the girl in the mirror. "And she **owes** it to her to tell him that she feels the same way."

There was a sniffle, and Shelby forced her eyes closed. "The woman he love is **not** good." Shelby's voice had a forced harshness to it. It was almost as if she was trying to convince herself. "Not meek, not pure." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and frowned. "She doesn't deserve him, or his love."

"Why don't you let **him** make that choice?" Daisy's green eyes watched as Shelby slid into her Nike's and turned to the door. "Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days."

"You've been spending way too much time with Ezra." Shelby laughed on her way out the door.  As she entered the living area of the suite, all conversations stopped. All eyes turned to her, and the bruise on her cheekbone that now surrounded her eye. "Don't break up the party on my account." She said smoothly, as Scott handed her the rose.

"We need to talk." He said for the second time that night. Nodding, Shelby dropped the rose on one of the straight back chairs surrounding the side table and followed Scott out into the hallway. "I was thinking that we could wander through the gardens." Scott said lightly, "There's a lake back there. I think it has a dock." Shelby nodded again, not trusting her voice, and the pair made their way out to the garden.

**_You are every part of me   
And with every breath I take   
Your love will light my way   
And for every day I live   
The promise that I made   
Is I will never let you go babe_**

They had circled the lake three times before Scott took Shelby's hand. "Did my heart ever love till now? Forswear it, sight. For I never saw true beauty till this night." Shelby shot him a disbelieving glance, and Scott laughed. "Ezra and David were watching _Romeo and Juliet_ in their suite earlier." He explained simply.

"You sure it wasn't _Bobby Joe and Jillian_?" Shelby asked with a smile. It felt good to be able to joke like that with Scott, especially after the events at the Morp. "Because I've been told that there's not much of a difference between the two."

Scott ran a hand through his hair and laughed nervously. "Yeah," he coughed and wiped the palm of his left hand on his faded blue jeans. "Look, Shells, about tonight…" Scott suddenly felt self-conscious, when Shelby turned to look at him. "I…I think…" He took a deep breath and concentrated on walking rather then the beautiful girl standing next to him. "I think you were wrong." He was finally able to get out.

**_I swear I never knew love like this before   
and for everything you are   
I gotta make you know   
for your love_**

"I was wrong." Shelby repeated, both of them were unsure if she was agreeing with him, or if she was asking for an explanation.

"Yeah." Scott stopped her a few feet away from the dock and forced her to look at him. "You were wrong." He said more sternly. He smiled at the look of confusion that spread over her features. "I meant every word that I said to you earlier." He raised her chin so that the moonlight caught the now bluish purple color on her cheek. "And one more thing." Shelby opened her mouth to respond and then stopped. "I love you."

**_And I'd give anything for your love   
'Cause baby I'd never make it alone   
And forever I'll stand by your side   
I just gotta make you see yeah   
I only live... for your love_**

His mouth was so close to hers, and she could feel the electricity. Then he brushed her lips with his. Her mouth was so soft and warm underneath the pressure of his lips. Who began the next kiss? They moved as one now; when their lips touched again, they both gasped. Arms reached, caressed, embraced; rings glinted as fingers gripped arms and shoulders, caressed necks and caught up handfuls of hair. The kiss grew; was it a new kiss, or the same one?

She leaned up and into him; he was bowed slightly over her, wanting her desperately, his passion rising to all new levels. He had lost all track of coherent thought; all he was was need.

**_When I was running out of faith   
You still believed in me   
And never let me fall   
And the times I lost my way   
You're the one who held me up   
And brought me through it all_**

And then she broke away, looking frightened, and stammered. "I'm sorry, I…I have to get back up to the room."

She turned, and almost ran, and though he said, "I know," he followed her, grabbed her, and pulled her around into his embrace.

**_I swear I never saw it like this before   
'Cause baby with your love you gave me   
the reason to go on   
and for your love_**

They were kissing again, as they were meant to. He wanted her so much. He needed her.

"Oh God, you feel-" Shelby whispered into his shirt.

In that moment, he knew he had a choice to make. He chose for her, not himself. He said, "You have to get back upstairs."

She began to walk backwards, away from him. "You're right. This is me... Going. This is me going upstairs to bed."

**_And I'd give anything for your love   
'Cause baby I'd never make it alone   
And forever I'll stand by your side   
I just gotta make you see yeah   
I only live... for your love_**

Her gaze said otherwise. He pursued her. He couldn't stop himself. Lover, predator- he was both. In the world that he had grown up in, he didn't have to ask for things. He didn't have to deny himself anything.

He took.

He came up to her and put his arms around her. He was a welcome barrier to her flight. She raised her right hand slightly, and it fluttered down harmlessly to his shoulder as she moaned into his mouth. He kept kissing her, allowing himself to reveal exactly how much he wanted her. As he neared her neck with his kissed, he almost nipped at the spot where he jugular vein was. She gave a tiny cry, perhaps not even realizing what she was doing, and they both smiled a little. Danger was mixed in with the lust, and the love.

**_And everything I am   
And all that I could be   
Would mean nothing now   
If you're not with me   
Shinin' your light on me   
When night is closen' in   
When I was weak   
You were the one who made me strong   
you gave me faith to carry on_**

She would never realize what it took for him to break the embrace when he said, "Maybe down here in front of everyone isn't the best place for this." He laughed against her neck.

Shelby took a few steps back and looked around. "Yeah. We're already looking at a month of shuns when Peter hears about this." She took Scott's hand in her own and led him inside and to the elevator. No words were spoken until they had gotten to Scott's room. His father had paid for his own room so Ezra could bunk in the suite with David and Auggie and it not be too crowded.

When the door clicked shut, Shelby turned back to Scott. He had moved away from her, to the other side of the room. For her entire life, Shelby would barely remember crossing to Scott's side of the room and wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders…but she would never forget the way his breath fluttered on her throat as he murmured her name again and again. And when his lips found the silver scar at the corner of her mouth, she wasn't aware that the voice whispering, "yes" was her own.

**_And I'd give anything for your love   
'Cause baby I'd never make it alone   
And forever I'll stand by your side   
I just gotta make you see yeah   
I only live... for your love_**

Scott drew Shelby down to his bed. _She's so beautiful,_ he thought as she relaxed in his arms. _She feels so amazing. Her skin, her hair…_ He breathed her in. The scent of her, the sanity softness on her neck, her shoulders; Her hands, caressing him. 

_Oh Scott. Let me lose myself in you._

"Love me."

As they melted into each other, Shelby's heart soared with joy. For the first time in all of her 17 years, Shelby had hope of heaven.

What'd you guys think of that? What should the "morning after" be like? E-mail me and review you're ideas to me….The more you review the more you get. 


End file.
